


Tomato Juice and Passion

by Tsunderecafe



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dubious Consent, F/F, I've never really written fic before so I hope this isn't awful, Inigo is a bartender, Just to be safe, M/M, Male Slash, Owain is a nerd, Topping Owain, because that's important, cliche hell, college AU almost??, fem slash, for that one comment, nerd lyfe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:01:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5979412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsunderecafe/pseuds/Tsunderecafe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inigo finds out the bar he started working at hosts a Vampire LARP night. Owain tries to seduce him with plastic fangs on. It kind of works. Eventual smut, modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had been almost a month since Inigo had started at “The Awakening”, a stylish bar in the downtown area. He had been through two years of Bartending School, a requirement from his mother, and now he finally had a cool job he could brag about to girls. He’d been getting used to all the regular opening and closing duties, and had now learned the names of all his co-workers. His ears had even adjusted to the pounding EDM music that he worked through until the early hours. It was now feeling _regular_. It felt good.

“Inigo?” a voice called as he opened the employee entrance door, “Aren’t you early?” Inigo smiled at the grumpy looking redhead.

“It’s scheduling day, Severa,” he grinned back at her, “I need to know when to schedule all my dates,” he continued, no note of sarcasm in his voice. The girl with pigtails rolled her eyes at that comment. He and she both knew that that wasn’t the case, but she shrugged and continued on into the kitchen, dumping an armful of dirty glasses for the unfortunate dishwasher tonight. Inigo knew not to take her silence personally – she was just a bit of a grump, but a drunken bonding session after work the other week had brought them a bit closer together.

Exhaling and pulling off his jacket, Inigo glanced at the schedule for the week. On it were everyone’s hours written neatly in different coloured markers (his boss was nothing if not thorough), and under tomorrow’s shift were the letters VLARP; big, red, and intimidating.

“Hey Sev, what does VLARP mean?” he called to her, and he saw her head emerge from the kitchen.

“Oh, you haven’t had one of those yet, have you?” she smirked, and then waved her hand, “Don’t worry about it, it’s just like any other night. Just stock lots of Clamato and you’ll be fine.” Clamato? Inigo tried to imagine who would order that many Bloody Marys, but nothing really came to mind, and he decided it could wait until tomorrow. He quickly punched in, and began taking inventory for the evening. A Wednesday, so probably slow. He brushed a lock of silvery blue hair behind his ear and began to get to work.

The bar closed at 1 AM, early for bar hours. Inigo finished putting away the last of the drink garnishes as they turned off the music. His ears were ringing, he noticed, and he waved down Severa who was just about to step out the door.

“Hey, if you don’t polish the glasses Kjelle will get mad at you again,” he teased, but in all seriousness she probably would get mad. Severa never missed an opportunity to slack, a trait that both earned his annoyance and admiration.

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” she grumbled, putting down her purse and grabbing a cloth from the bar. Inigo observed her, weighing his options, then decided to gamble.

“Severa, can you tell me more about the VLARP thing?” Immediately feeling himself blushing, he glanced away and tried to laugh a bit, “I have no idea what it even means.”

The redhead eyed him over the glass she was holding up to the light, then lowered it and looked him dead in the eyes, “It’s a bunch of weirdos, if you ask me. Rent out the entire bar for the night.”

“That’s….it?” he blinked, a bit of disappointment in his voice. He’d been expecting to be something big, some video being filmed in the bar, or a secret society meeting. It was in red marker after all; nothing was in red marker unless it was important.

“That’s it,” she put down the glass and dropped her cloth in it, “Now if you’ll excuse me I have someone waiting for me.”  Inigo waggled his eyebrows at her, and she brushed him off with a wave of her hand, and grabbed her purse. “It’s my bed.”

Inigo grinned at her and made an obscene gesture, earning him the finger from Severa, and closed up the bar for the night. VLARP day sounded a lot less intimidating now, and he decided he didn’t need to come in early after all.

 

* * *

 

He should have come in early. He would have definitely needed at least half an hour to process what was going on. Around him stood cloaked men and women, some with false vampire teeth, talking in strangely eloquent language, sipping Bloody Caesars and laughing. Apparently the V stood for Vampire. Live Action Role Playing, is what Kjelle had told him at the beginning of his shift. Apparently they rented out the entire bar once a month and mingled. Inigo wasn’t even sure how to react.

“Greetings, human,” a voice shook Inigo from his thoughts, and he turned to the man, flashing his bartender’s smile.

“What can I get for you?” He looked the man up a down. He wore a black velvet cape, had blonde hair that hung in front of his red….red? eyes, and two long fangs hanging out of his mouth. Oh jeez.

“A bloody Caesar, _extra_ bloody,” the man smirked, lowering his lashes seductively. Inigo swallowed quickly, then began to mix him his drink, finishing off his fourth (fourth!) bottle of Clamato of the night.

“Can I see your ID?” Inigo asked, rimming the glass with celery salt.

“My…ID. Right,” the man stammered, shoving a hand into his pocket nervously. Inigo raised an eyebrow. Eighteen year olds were allowed _in_ the bar, and quite a few people had tried to casually order a drink while underage, and Inigo was used to it. He waited patiently as the man fumbled through his pockets, then mumbled something.

“What was that?” Inigo implored, smiling a bit. It was always satisfying to catch kids in the act.

“I seem to have forgotten it. A…. _virgin_ Caesar then,” The man, _boy¸_ glanced away awkwardly, but then inhaled and seemed to regain his composure. “Are you new? I tend to know the humans who work here around this time.”

Inigo blinked at his natural slip back into confidence, “I’m new at the bar. Can I assume you’re a….” he paused, “A vampire, then?” He didn’t even know why he was going along with this. Was he supposed to? Was this in the job description? The entire night was feeling more and more surreal.

“I mustn’t reveal my secrets, human, no matter how cute you are,” the man smirked and Inigo felt himself blushing. This kid isn’t even old enough to drink, what kind of confidence did this kid have?

 “Do you like it, human? Being….” The man licked his lips, “….mortal?” Inigo didn’t even know how he was supposed to answer this.

“Uh, I guess?” he tucked some hair behind his ear, sliding the finished drink over to the boy.

“Perhaps I could take you on as a concubine, it’s not like you’d have much of a say in the matter,” the blonde man continued, smirking enough to reveal the fake vampire teeth. It was kind of endearing, he thought to himself.

“I’m not sure….how I’d feel about that, I kind of like my job.”

“Unfortunate,” the man let out a theatrical sigh, “I would have loved to spend long nights with you, in blood and passion.”

Inigo swallowed and stammered out, “Wh-what? Hold on, I....I need to check something in the back, pardon me.” What the heck? Was this kid speaking vampire nonsense really getting to him? VLARP night was even more intimidating. Damn Severa for not truly warning him, and damn the blond vampire boy for hitting on him so much. He was probably only like eighteen. Nothing compared to Inigo, who was almost 24. He found himself in the bathroom, leaning against the sink. He splashed some water onto his face and shook his head violently. Gotta focus on the job. It’s one thing when cute girls hit on him, but he wasn’t exactly used to such blatant seduction by men. He heard the toilet flush and immediately absconded from the bathroom, even more embarrassed at anyone else seeing him flustered.

When he returned to the bar, the blonde man had disappeared, probably off mingling with some other “creature of the night”. Inigo wasn’t even sure what the point of this kind of meet up was. Who wanted to spend their Thursday nights pretending to be some ancient vampire? Was there a point? Did they really come every month? He busied his hands polishing glasses, occasionally sneaking glances to the strange patrons of the evening. There was a woman whispering in a man’s ear, and by the expression on his face, he’d be lucky that night. There were several men talking and laughing in a group, giving each other a “cheers”, a few women talking quietly, shooting suspicious glances around, and what appeared to be a game of poker going on at the main table. It was…strange, but Inigo found himself strangely entranced by their world.

After having to go to the back to get another crate of Clamato, the blonde “vampire” was back at the bar, talking quietly to another man. He was honestly pretty scary looking, a long scar down one eye, frazzled blonde hair, and a practically menacing expression. Inigo nervously stocked the mini fridge, listening in to their conversation.

“They’ve ratted us out, Sanguin,” the young boy said in what was probably supposed to be a hushed tone, but sounded more like a shout over the loud music, “I think we need to flee for our lives soon.”

“Can’t you just call me Brady when we’re the only ones talking?” the other blonde man sighed, resting his head on a hand and stirring his drink with the other, “And why did we decide to be brothers? Can’t we stick with cousins?”

“Come on San-...Brady, we gotta stay in character, that’s the point,” the other boy scowled at him, “And it’s a ROLE playing game, you don’t just come as whoever you normally are.” He then put an arm around the other man, pulling him in closer.  
“Look, the fighting’s going to happen soon, and we can’t stay out late enough to go so we need an excuse to leave before then, so stay. in. character.”  
  
“Uh, whatever, _Odin_ ,” the gruff man replied, then cleared his throat, “Y-yeah, brother, they’re gonna fuck us up if we stay any longer,” he continued, with the acting skills of a lemon, “We should get outta here before they burn us or something.”

“You don’t burn vampires, you burn witches, idiot!” Odin narrowed his eyes, but continued in character, “It is time to make our leave then. You go first, then I will join you to deflect suspicion.”

“So you want me to get the car warmed up?”

“Yeah, that’d be great. I’ll be there in a few.”

The other man stood up and pulled some car keys out of his pocket, side stepping past a group of hooded women. Inigo noted the time - almost midnight. How young was this kid? Inigo grabbed the empty glass left behind and smiled at “Odin”.

“Anything I can get you before you make your daring escape?”

The boy turned to him, looking up at him through half lidded eyes, “No, but thank you for your kindness. If anyone asks, I was never here.” Inigo resisted the urge to snort at his attempt to be “gentlemanly”, then nodded and brought a few glasses back to the dish pit.

Upon returning, he found a generous tip and a note.

“My offer still stands.

(519) XXX-XXXX

-Owain”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severa is gay, Inigo gets a blowjob

2:36 AM

Severa, help me D:

wat its like 3 am

I got hit on

good 4 u

No you don’t understand it was a guy dressed like a vampire

isnt that like what u go for?

Ha ha. :T

gr8 job. nite

SEVERA PLEASE this is serious he was cute

(Message read at 2:40 AM)

 

What were friends even for? Inigo pocketed his phone, tugging his jacket tighter around himself against the wind. After Owain had left, the vampire people mingled until they were kicked out. The kitchen was practically cleaned up and so Inigo was one of the last people left, besides the dishwasher. He was politely pushing people towards the door, kindly asking them to leave for at least half an hour before they actually _did_. And as soon as they had, he was out the door after them. He didn’t even bother zipping up his jacket, making a dash out towards his apartment. It was definitely a weird night.

Inigo pulled the crumpled note out of his pocket, examining it again. The handwriting was messy, probably because it was dark, and obviously written hastily. Maybe he was nervous? He smiled to himself at that; of course he knew he was a heartbreaker. Wait, no, that wasn’t the point! Yeah he’d be flirted with by other guys, but the...the outright forwardness threw him off. It was bothering him that he was so _bothered_ by this whole thing. Some loser kid comes in and suddenly, Inigo’s in high school again, getting flustered about an upcoming dance.

He unlocked the front door and jammed the elevator button, wanting to crash into bed as soon as possible. He flipped on his phone quickly while the elevator rose, but Severa was apparently asleep. Damnit. He flicked the light on in his apartment and threw his jacket down over the back of the couch, then turned into his bedroom.He checked his phone once more, but the only thing looking back at him was the pinup girl on his lock screen. Inigo sighed and tossed it onto the bed, stripping for bed.

So he was just going to have to deal with this himself. The obvious answer was to ignore the note, take it as a compliment and go about his life. Except the boy would probably be back in a month. Oh that would be awkward, so definitely out of the question. Tugging on a pair of pajama pants, he ran over his options in his head:

  1. Text him immediately and tell him how flustered you were.That was definitely out.
  2. Let him know via text that you’re flattered by his attention but aren’t interested. Well that would be……….a bit of a lie, but it would probably solve the problem. Then he’d just ask for every VLARP off for the rest of his life.
  3. Wait a day and casually ask him how he thought the event was. Well that might work, if not make him seem too eager.



None of these were great options. He pawed with his phone, flopping down onto the bed and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. Either way, texting him at this time of night was out of the question. Maybe he’d call his mom for advice. Plugging in his phone, Inigo rolled over and exhaled heavily, letting himself drift off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

He didn’t text him. It was probably the worst option but Inigo _was_ a self-described coward. Ok, more like everyone else called him one so he just accepted it. It had been almost two weeks since the VLARP and he was still pretending it didn’t happen. Owain didn’t appear to be a regular at the bar on any other nights, but that was probably because the kid was just that; a kid. Still, it didn’t stop Inigo from sneaking nervous glances across the crowds during peak hours, wiping a counter that had already been wiped down a hundred times that evening. It was starting to become pathetic.

“Starting to?” Severa said, rolling her eyes, as she sat across from Inigo at the nearby Starbucks before work, “More like you’re actually the lamest person I’ve ever met.”

“You say that every time we hang out,” Inigo whined, pulling the straw out of his venti frappuccino, sucking the whipped cream off the bottom sulkily.

“That’s because it’s true. Now either text this boy or stop flipping your shit over him. Aren’t you like twice his age anyway?”

“Rude,” Inigo snapped back, “I’m twenty-four. And he’s like, youngest, eighteen. And that’s not the point!”

“What is the point then?” Severa snipped, “I can’t believe you’re this nervous about some overconfident kid in vampire fangs. Are you even listening to yourself?” She continued, before taking a sip of her own coffee.

“The point is….well yeah, I can’t believe I’m nervous too. I’m a _ladies_ man, Severa,” he continued, ignoring the snort she gave him, “I’m not supposed to get all butterfly sweaty palms doki about a _boy_.”

“What, you’re having some kind of sexuality crisis here? People are gay, Inigo. Gay, bi, whatever. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Inigo slurped at his drink, trying to get the last bit of cream at the bottom, before putting it down in frustration, “I’m not gay!” he insisted, a little too loudly. The barista glanced at him, and Inigo mouthed an apology.

“Ok, so bi, preference to girls. Who cares. I’m gay, my mom is too, it’s not that weird.” Her sentence earned her an overdramatic raised eyebrow from Inigo.

“Wait how did I not know you were into girls too? You never agree with me when I talk about them?” Inigo looked a bit shocked, but intrigued.

“Because I don’t have your slutty tastes, idiot. I have more…….” she paused, “...Intellectual interests.” Inigo grinned at her, then leaned closer across the table, egging her on, “Ok there’s this girl at my university ok? She’s….cute.” She blushed a bit, waving her hand to get Inigo out of her personal space. He obliged, but didn’t stop his smug grin.

“Hey,” she continued, “This isn’t about me, ok? This is about you and your vampire lover.”

“Could you maybe say that louder?” Inigo muttered, running a hand through his bangs, embarrassed.

“Sure. This is about you and your **vampire boyfr-** ” she was cut off by Inigo shoving his hand over her mouth, and she bit him.

“Oh my god I HATE you,” he smiled, foiling his words, and Severa gave him a smirk back. Despite questioning, Severa remained tight lipped about this ‘mysterious university girl’, despite Inigo buying her another coffee (damn her). They left for work not long after, and he couldn’t catch her again before she slipped home before him.

He didn’t even really think about Owain until a day before the next VLARP, which apparently he had been scheduled for. Inigo groaned and looked at Severa, who looked away and began whistling. Uh oh.  

“Kjelle, can I talk to you for a minute?” Inigo tapped his boss on the shoulder. The woman turned around, all six feet of her overshadowing him, causing a drop in his confidence. Kjelle had started out as a bouncer, and the damn fitness freak still intimidated everyone who worked there.

“What is is, Inigo? I’m in the middle of something…” she held up a clipboard as if to prove her point, narrowing her eyes.

“Uh, well…..” What was he asking for again? Man Kjelle was scary when she was moody, “I was wondering….well….so, something came up and I can’t work on Wednesday.”

“It’s a bit short notice, and besides didn’t you request it? Severa mentioned you enjoyed it last month, so I have you on every one for the next few months.”

“Ah, she said that did she? Well, I think I’m going to have to-”

“Out of the question.” Kjelle cut him off curtly, turning around to continue taking fridge temperatures. Inigo sighed and slumped his shoulders dramatically. Severa whisked past him with an almost teasing spring in her step, and Inigo resisted the urge to trip her.

 

* * *

 

Wednesday came. Apparently, so had he. Inigo refused to consider the implications of whatever wet dream he might have had, and hopped into the shower, letting the water wash over him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had done something like _that_ ; how embarrassing. He worked the shampoo into his hair, and as he closed his eyes, he caught the remnants of his dream. Rough hands, soft lips. His cock twinged at the thought, and he turned the water to cold.

By the time he got out, it was almost 4:00 in the afternoon. Bar life didn’t exactly contribute to a healthy sleep schedule. His head still buzzed from last night - Severa had insisted they hit some 24 hour bar after work and had offered to treat him, perhaps in remorse for signing him up for every VLARP the bar hosted for the rest of his life. Either way, it wasn’t his most informed decision for a Tuesday night, but that was adulthood. A pair of toaster waffles and half a carton of milk later, and Inigo was ready to go. He texted Severa quickly;

3:51 PM

You working tonight? :/

y wud i go out if i was

bio paper needs me

Severa you asshole.

gud luck babe

 

Inigo checked his phone several times before work, but that was all Severa was giving him. He felt a strange knot in his stomach as he pushed his way through the employee entrance door, smiling politely at Kjelle who was checking the recent shipment of lemons.

“Inigo, we got more Clamato, it’s in the back,” she called out after he clocked in, “You’ll need i-”

“I know,” he cut her off curtly, with more ice than he intended, “Sorry, I’m just a bit stressed,” he immediately went to defend himself, but Kjelle just smiled back at him.

“Don’t worry, it’s always a bit overwhelming the first few times.”

Inigo replied with a tight smile of thanks, then grabbed a carton full of Clamato, and brought it up to the bar fridge.

The doors opened at 6, and the first of the VLARP crowd filed into the bar, grabbing the quiet corner seats. Inigo nervously wiped down the table, eyes flicking upward every time a blonde man walked in. He bent down the check his phone one too many times, not sure what he was looking for. After the first hour, Inigo found himself breathing easier; maybe he wasn’t coming tonight.

It was then, as if the universe was conspiring against him, that Inigo saw him making his way to the bar. Oh _god_.

It was probably because he had been on the lookout for a dramatic cape and victorian era clothing that he missed Owain. Tonight was something totally different; faded ripped jeans, a bit too tight to be appropriate, a navy tank top under a patched leather jacket, and to top it off, an earring that matched Inigo’s in his left ear. Inigo felt his pulse tighten, and he suddenly found himself fascinated with the floor.

“Hey,” Inigo glanced upwards and found himself face to face with the source of his turmoil all month, “What’s a guy gotta do to get something to drink around here?” His voice was gruffer than it was before - lost were the languid tones of a cat playing with a mouse, and in its place was something more modern, a bit rough around the edges.

“Uh, s-sorry, what’ll it be?” Inigo plastered on his bartender’s smile, grabbing a glass.

“Whiskey, on the rocks,” Owain smirked, sitting down at the bar. He seemed to be without his friend this time. Inigo smiled and nodded, putting down the highball glass and putting a whiskey tumbler on the bar instead. As he dropped a few ice cubes in, he glanced up at Owain again, deciding to start up conversation.

“Going for a different look this month?” He smiled, pouring some of the high shelf whiskey into the glass, “Also I’ll need your ID.” If he couldn’t drink it, maybe Inigo could down it in the back. He might need it.

To his surprise, Owain slid over a drivers licence, smugly reaching for the glass. Inigo eyed it; twenty-one, supposedly. It looked pretty fake. He slid it back, saying nothing.

“I’m a different character this month,” Owain took a sip, making a face that suggested perhaps he liked the Bloody Mary better, then continued, “I like to switch it up. Haven’t heard from you, did you get my note?”

There it was - out in the open.

“Uh, yeah, I just….couldn’t find the time,” Inigo laughed nervously, not meeting his eyes.

“Then it isn’t that you’re disinterested?” Owain rested his head on his hands, narrowing his eyes in a way that shouldn’t have looked as hot as it did.

“So, what’s this other ‘character’ then?” Inigo abruptly changed subjects, pretending to busy himself with cutting lemon wedges.

“Oh, I’m a 90’s era punk who was turned vampire for his abilities to fight with knives,” Owain grinned, happy to share his story, “I’m working for some higher ups in the clan. Aggressive, sexy, that kind of thing.”

“Do all your characters share the ‘sexy’ trait?” Inigo asked, immediately regretting his wording, “Uh, that is…”

“Well vampires ARE sexy,” Owain retorted, taking another swig from his drink. Inigo snorted despite himself.

“So shouldn’t you go be sitting by your ‘master’s’ side then?” Inigo tried to keep his face straight, but a grin broke through anyway.

“Ah, but my lovely bartending friend,” Owain leaned closer and looked up at him through lidded lashes, “I’m not here for her. I’m here for _you_.”

Inigo swallowed, his face inches from the young blonde. There was that direct flirtation again - that forwardness that Inigo tried to ignore but couldn’t help reacting to. He sputtered out a response

“Uh, wh-wha...w-well you, I mean,” It was a spectacular failure.

“Hey, I gotta go do something real quick, but I’ll be _right_ back,” Owain suddenly pushed his chair back, downing the rest of the whiskey before winking and turning to a crowd that was beginning to form. Inigo felt his cheeks reddening - whatever he just tried to say, it made him sound even more pathetic than he felt. He watched Owain slip off into the group, where some sort of rock paper scissors competition appeared to be happening. He bent over the bar, inhaling deeply. This was actually going to kill him.

Glancing up, he tried to follow what sort of commotion was happening. The music muffled what appeared to be an argument, and he saw Owain standing next to one of the participants, looking wide eyed, toothy, and feral. He reached into his jacket to pull out something, but instead of a knife, he made a scissor motion with his hand. Apparently, he won, as the person across from him grabbed their arm in mock pain and fell to their knees. Another rock paper scissors game - another win, the figure doubling over with Owain standing over him. He mocked spitting on them, then walked away, standing next to the woman he was defending before, who ran a hand through his hair. Inigo felt his heart sink.

The confrontation appeared to be over, and Owain walked back to the bar, sliding into his seat confidently. Inigo ignored him.

“Sorry, had to fulfill my duty as a dog. Another Whiskey, if you would,” Owain straightened his jacket, turning to Inigo whose disposition had completely changed, “Oh, what, aren’t impressed by my amazing combat skills?” Inigo sniffed and poured him another drink. Smirk turning to a scowl, Owain took the glass and drank from it, “Hey, you’re not jealous are you?” he raised an eyebrow and Inigo bristled.

“Jealous? You’re here on a Wednesday night dressed like a wannabe punk vampire and I’m jealous of you?” Inigo thought aggressively, but exhaled and gave a more work appropriate answer; “Yes, I truly wish I could be as cool as you,” he smiled, no hint of irony in his voice despite his feelings.

“Hey,” Owain leaned across the bar again, causing Inigo to lean back in surprise, “Don’t say anything, ok?” he blinked in response, as Owain suddenly pushed the chair back again and, striding around the bar, ducked behind it on Inigo’s side. The bartender nervously watched him as he settled between his legs. Inigo mouthed him a “what are you doing?!” before tearing his eyes away to look _anywhere_ else. The group was having some kind of congregation, and those around the bar peeled away to join it, leaving him alone with the blonde below him. He braced his hands against the bar, tilting his head down to look at the blonde, who winked up at him before unzipping his pants.

This. Was. Not. Happening. But indeed it was, and Inigo stifled a gasp as he felt his pants peel away, warm hands running down his legs. He couldn’t stifle the whimper though as Owain placed his lips over his obvious _interest_ in what was happening. Hot breath caused goosebumps to erupt all over Inigo, and the music’s bass hummed deep within his body. The blonde’s tongue ran down his length, impressively well, and Inigo silently cursed. He was going to be fired. This was the end. Someone was going to find out and he’d be out of here before he could com- _oooohhhhhohmyGOD_

Owain had slipped a finger under his boxers, and pulled them down in one swift motion, suddenly taking his cock in his mouth. Inigo braced further onto the bar, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt the hot, wet, mouth tighten around his length. His moan was lost in the sounds of the bar and Inigo suddenly found himself to be a praying man. Owain rocked back and forth, his deft tongue circling Inigo’s slit, causing the man to bite his lip so tight it bled.

Every move that Owain made drove Inigo crazier, and he opened one eye to make sure no one was coming up to the bar. Apparently Owain had timed this amazingly, because everyone else was preoccupied with whatever event was going on over by the dance floor, leaving him at the mercy at the blonde. He bucked back a bit as Owain hit a sensitive spot, and, encouraged by his reaction, Owain began to suck tighter, moving back and forth at increasing speed.

“Hnnnng….O-owain…..” Inigo felt himself cry out softly under his breath, and the blonde released him from his mouth to smile up at him, licking his lips.

“You haven’t even told me your name yet,” Owain whispered, his voice almost lost in the background noise. Inigo blushed, opening his mouth to reply but found himself cut off:

“It’s Inigoooo _oooooOOOHHHH_ ,” the hot, wet sensation had returned and Inigo bucked into Owain’s mouth at the sudden pleasure, immediately tensing up. He felt those lips moving closer and closer, almost fully taking him in, and he felt close to the breaking point.

“O-owain, I-” Inigo began, and as if he knew exactly what he was saying, Owain increased his pace, sucking tighter, and grabbing Inigo’s ass, letting himself be face fucked. Inigo groaned and, losing control, rocked hard against the blonde, biting his lip to hide his moans and groans. It felt so fast, so good, and then, suddenly, he felt the tension spread throughout his body; heat and sudden release, and he realized he had come fully into the boy’s mouth. A guttural moan took the place of the apology, as he looked down at the boy who appeared to swallow the load, licking his lips and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand lazily. The boy then gave Inigo’s tip a quick lick, pulling a shudder from the man, before lifting his pants back up over his hips, doing up the belt quickly, then standing up.

“So, same time next month then?” Inigo barely registered the comment, letting out a contented and just a bit confused ‘ _hhhhhhhhhhh?’_ . Owain moved closer, taking his lips for a kiss that seemed to last forever, and definitely involved more tongue than Inigo had ever experienced in his life. And, just like that, he pulled away and dropped a $20 bill on the counter before slipping through the crowd, leaving Inigo pink-cheeked and more confused than ever.

 

_Fuck._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I disappeared for a bit, I got caught up in Fates just like everyone else. RIP me

The next few months were a whirlwind. Inigo started looking forward to VLARP nights with guilty anticipation, and Owain was always there with a smirk and that mouth that tied Inigo up in knots. Once he had asked Inigo which character he liked better, and upon telling him that he had a fondness for the tight jeans, he had retired the other one. Despite having his number, Inigo never texted; it was more exciting to meet once a month. Or at least that’s what he told himself to excuse his awkwardness.

Severa was the first to know, and in fact the only one (besides his tumblr blog, which didn’t count).

“He _what?_ ” She gasped, forgetting her coffee on the way to her lips, her eyebrows rising with surprise and intrigue. Inigo shuffled awkwardly in his seat, leaning in and hushing his voice.

“You can’t tell anyone, I’d get so-”

“Fired. I know. Despite everything, I don’t actually hate having you around,” she sipped coffee and glanced away in that way she did when she was embarrassed. Inigo breathed a sigh and thanked her so plainly that she sputtered on her coffee and blushed the same colour as her hair.

Inigo had never felt so light. It was invigorating, sexy, childish and yet so adult. He wouldn’t admit to being infatuated or anything, of course not. It was all harmless fun….right?

He distracted himself with busying himself into Severa’s love life. He had managed to drag a name from her after enough coffees and lemon loaves (his wallet cried). Lucina.

“Why does her facebook profile pic look like it was taken by a professional photographer?” Inigo squinted at the phone Severa was holding out to him, zooming in on the blue haired woman with a polite smile and intelligent eyes.

“I don’t know! Like…who gets a professional photo for their profile picture? Is she rich? Should I not even be looking at her?” Severa grumped, pocketing her phone and crossing her arms. Inigo quickly googled her last name.

“Ylisse? Isn’t that like, the name of your university?” Inigo raised an eyebrow and Severa paled.

“I’m an IDIOT!” She cried, slamming her head onto the table, and Inigo quickly grabbed their coffees before they splattered to the floor, “Her dad must be like….the Chancellor or something! I am so out of my league it’s…..ARGH!” She moaned, muffled through her hair and the table she was speaking into. Chancellor didn’t even seem like a high enough rank to get the university named after you, but Inigo didn’t feel like lowering her mood any further.

“Look, just because her dad might be something important doesn’t mean she won’t even give you the time of day. You’ve talked before, right?” The silence that followed was more telling than anything she could have said, “Ok, so you can totally go talk to her right? Is she in your class or….?”

“She works at the Library, I think,” Severa lifted her head, tucking her pigtails back into place and pouting slightly, “I always check out books I don’t read so I….so I can talk to her,” her voice lowered. Inigo knew it was only because they had been friends for long enough that she’d reveal anything that embarassing to him, and was flattered.

“Ok, so why don’t you strike up conversation when you check out another book? Ask what her major is or something?” Inigo volunteered, stirring his straw around the empty frappuccino cup in his hands.

Severa shook her head, “I’ve tried, I end up just sounding like I’m, I don’t know, yelling at her or something.” Inigo snorted - that was Severa all right, lashing out when she was nervous.

“Ok but have you tried _not_ yelling at her?” He replied, earning a flick to the forehead, “Ow! Ok, just prepare what you’re gonna say I guess?”

“Hm, not a terrible idea,” Severa mumbled to herself, pulling out her phone and tapping out something, “Crap, sorry, I’m opening tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Inigo waved her off and pulled out his own phone. His advice was exactly what he had been trying to doing. Except instead of lashing out, he found he couldn’t even get any words out as soon as Owain started working his magic. Did he want to do more than this? Date? Or did Owain think this was just a one night a month kind of thing? He groaned, and stood to throw out the remains of Severa and his planning session.

Wednesday arrived and Inigo was buzzing with anticipation, his eyes darting around for the boy every chance he had. This would be their fifth “rendezvous”. But the night dragged on and as much as Inigo prayed, there seemed to be no sign of Owain. Inigo felt himself sweating nervously, wiping the bar with his built up energy. He could never follow what was happening in the VLARP plot, so he didn’t even know if maybe Owain’s character had been killed off? Or maybe he just got bored; bored of the LARP, bored of _Inigo_. No. He couldn’t allow himself to think like that, at least not here. He felt the tears prickling, threatening to spill out, and he ducked into the walk in fridge.

“Cool down, Inigo,” he spoke quietly to himself, “Maybe he’s sick. Or he’s late?” But the excuses to himself felt just like that - excuses. He exited the fridge before someone could see him, rubbing his arm on his sleeve.

He finished the night without seeing Owain, and held back until after he had closed the bar. There wasn’t even rain to cover the wet spots running down his cheeks as he hurried home in the oppressively hot June night.

***

3:12 AM

I think I got broken up with.

u were dating sum1?

Severa please I can’t stop crying...

sry... no show?

What do I do? I feel like throwing up.

no dont do that

strbcks tmrw? 4:30.

Okay….thanks Sev.

(Last message received at 3:15 AM)

 

Inigo pried his eyes open on Thursday morning. He had fallen asleep mid wank - a sad one anyway, so probably for the best. A trip to the refrigerator told him he was in dire need of groceries, but he didn’t feel like he had the energy. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. He still had a couple hours until he was meeting Severa. Thankfully it was both of their days off, so he could probably cry at her for a few more hours than usual. His phone also showed a missed text from his mom.

 

9:25 AM

Hey Honey!~ Hope your job’s been going well, you should call me more often! Your stepdad is almost done his tour so I’ll be home to visit soon. Want me to get you a CD? Love you soooooooo much! Xoxo Mom.

 

Ugh. No...thank….you….. He tapped out a reply. He paused, and added an xoxo of his own before pushing send. Alright. Time to be an adult.

The closest grocery store was ten minutes by bus, but bartending, despite tips, didn’t give him the luxery of buying things at Whole foods. So instead he took the twenty minute bus to the student’s centre near Ylisse University. Everything was always extremely cheap, and Inigo could usually flash a smile and get a student discount on words alone. He wasn’t sure if he could pull off the winning smile today, but perhaps buying a pint of neopolitan ice cream and looking as heartbroken as he did would convince the cashier.

The noise assaulted his ears as he entered the store, but soon lulled to a comforting white noise as he dropped his reusable bags in the child seat of the shopping cart. He immediately reached for a packet of donuts from the sale aisle (best before tomorrow? No problem.) and leaned against the cart, pushing it forward with his weight.

“Milk, chips, coffee…” Inigo mumbled, glancing down the aisles, rounding a corner and running into someone else.

“Oh my god I’m SO sorry!” Inigo blinked at the tiny blonde woman who was apologizing to him, “I wasn’t looking where I was going, are you alright?”

The woman looked like she was in her late twenties, with golden blonde hair pulled up in cutesy pigtails, and a bright yellow sundress that ended at her knees. Inigo couldn’t help but blush at the startlingly beautiful woman. Perhaps, it was a sign that he should move on, forget Owain, get back into the scene.

“Oh no, my mistake entirely. Truly, my apologies. May I assist you while you shop as an apology?” He felt his usual confidence returning to him and the woman giggled - _oh god she’s so cute-_ as he took her hand in his typical chivalrous way..

“You really don’t have to, besides I already-” she paused at a voice coming from the aisle she just exited from.

“Look I found them and they’re on sale, can you buy them?” Inigo froze as a familiar blonde man turned the corner, holding a box of double stuff oreos in both hands. Inigo was caught off guard by how…. _normal_ Owain looked. His hair was free from the usual gel, and stuck up all over the place, and his tight jeans were replaced by khaki shorts. HIs shirt was baggy, obviously a few sizes too big for him, and had some cute japanese character with blue hair giving a peace sign. The contacts were gone too, but his green eyes looked much cuter than the garish red ones anyway.

He caught Inigo’s eye and then paused as he saw him holding the woman’s hand. His mouth opened slightly, and Inigo saw him blush for the first time ever. Inigo’s smile slid off his face, however, as he realized why he thought the woman looked so cute.

“M-mother, wha.....what are you doing?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the really nice comments on my last chapter encouraged me to write more right away! But the downside is that I wrote this at like 3 AM and don't have an editor so lemme know if something sounds dumb. Thanks for reading!

Mother? _Mother?!_

“Oh this young man just offered to help me with groceries, that’s all!” Lissa smiled sweetly as Owain walked over, towering over her in height. Inigo felt himself shutting down. This was probably the most embarrassing situation he’d ever been in. He felt the colour draining from his face as he clutched the packet of donuts tightly.

“Oh. Well.” Owain turned to look over Inigo again, deciding what direction to go with this, Inigo assumed, “This is Inigo, actually he’s a friend of mine.” Lissa blinked in what looked like surprise, as Owain continued, “From that monthly club thing I go to?”

“Right! I’m glad you’re making friends, Owain!” She smiled and reached up to ruffle his hair, and Inigo covered his laugh with a rather fake cough. Owain turned pink and tossed the oreos into the cart.

“Well it’s nice to….see you….again,” he mumbled, looking rather cutely embarrassed, Inigo noted, “But we should probably g-”

“Would you like to come over for lunch?” Lissa spoke up at the same time, and both men were thrown off guard, “I mean if you aren’t busy after this? I assume you’re done with school for the summer as well?”

Inigo processed what Owain’s _mother_ (he still wasn’t over how young she looked) said, and gave a delayed response that was only a little bit socially unacceptable.

“..................................Oh, uh, I, well,” he looked at Owain, who was refusing to meet his gaze, “I would some other time, but I do need to finish shopping, and uh, get to work.” He lied. Crisis averted. Owain seemed to give out a subtle sigh of relief as well.

“Ah, that’s too bad, I’d love to have you over some time. It’s not every day Owain brings home friends!” She nudged him playfully, and Owain laughed nervously in response. The three stood awkwardly between the aisles for a moment longer, before someone tried to push past them and they all realized they were in the way.

“S...see you around?” Owain called to Inigo as he headed off with his mom, and Inigo gave a shy wave back. As soon as they rounded the corner, Inigo heaved out a breath and leaned against his cart for support. What. The. Hell. Was that even the same person? It obviously was, but Inigo had never really thought about what Owain looked like or did outside of VLARP nights. The sexy punk image he had been fantasizing about for months suddenly dissolved away into the dorky boy he had just seen asking his mom to buy him cookies. Inigo felt... _lame_.

He melancholically pushed his cart through the rest of the grocery store, being sure to avoid seeing Owain or his mom again, and in his trance, realized on the bus that he forgot to pick up milk.  

 

1:38 PM

You will never guess what happened to me today.

wow u cant w8 till 430?

I guess it can but I’ll give you a hint:

I accidentally hit on vampboy’s mother in the grocery store while he was there.

Actually that was kind of like the whole story.

…

wat

the

fuk

Inig get ur life together boi

 

Inigo shut his phone and pocketed it, lying back on his couch after his return from the grocery store of hell. Now that the original shock wore off, Inigo coughed up a giggle, which spilled into laughter he couldn’t control and that hurt his stomach. Everything felt so ridiculous, and he felt like the biggest fool. He heaved a relieved sigh, staring up at the ceiling, all the tension melting away. Something about seeing this boy, who he had been fawning and fantasizing over for months, wearing an oversized t-shirt and holding a box of oreos just _shattered_ the wall he felt between them.

Inigo pulled out his phone again and opened the contact info for Owain, which he kept on his phone since he first got the number. No longer afraid, he tapped out a message.

 

1:41 PM

Your mother seems nice. (:

Missed you last night?

Inigo, in case you were wondering who this is.

 

He exhaled and held the phone to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut and smiling like a fool. The minutes felt like hours as he waited for the familiar buzz of the phone.

 

1:41 PM

Your mother seems nice. (:

Missed you last night?

Inigo, in case you were wondering who this is.

You finally txted!

It only took you like half a year...are you that intimidated by the mighty Owain?

 

Inigo let out a squeal that he would forever deny the existence of to anyone.

 

You finally txted!

It only took you like half a year...are you that intimidated by the mighty Owain?

Maybe a little.

My father was home last night

He’s rather in the dark about my midnight monthly escapades, if you catch my drift.

I would have texted you but I DIDNT HAVE YOUR NUMBER

Haha sorry

I’ll make it up to you sometime soon ;)

You mean at the lunch your mother invited me to?

>_> I’m sorry she’s really embarrassing

 

Inigo’s phone battery was practically drained by the time he went out to see Severa. Despite his initial fears, texting his fuck body wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would have been. He found out Owain was only a month away from 19, so he wouldn’t have to worry about fake IDs soon. He was at Ylisse University (unsurprising) studying Classics (surprising!). His father worked there too, so he managed to get a pretty good scholarship, but he was extremely strict and didn’t know about Owain’s hobbies. Hobbies that included LARPing, Dungeons and Dragons, Video Games, Anime, and all sorts of other geeky things. Inigo didn’t know anyone who actually played Dungeons and Dragons, and was thankful Owain couldn’t hear him laugh over text.

Inigo told him about his mother - how she was a backup dancer who toured with lots of famous musicians, so she wasn’t home a lot. How his dad left when he was young, and how much he hated his step-dad (“ _The_ Virion Rosanne?” Owain had replied in surprise. The downside of him being a famous musician). He told him how he had his own apartment since he was in high school, told him about his co-workers, told him everything. He had never spilled so much in such a short time. It was embarrassing. It was-

“ _Wonderful_ ,” Inigo sighed into his frappicinno, and Severa mimicked a retching sound.

“Look Juliet, if you had just listened to me and texted him months ago, you could basically be married by now.” Severa smirked proudly, stirring her coffee absentmindedly.

“Yeah yeah, and wait, why Juliet?”

“Because he’s more the Romeo type apparently. No offence but you’re kind of a total bottom.”

Inigo replied with an over the top gasp, putting a hand to his chest, then dropping the act as soon as his phone buzzed, fumbling to reply quickly.

“There is such a dumb grin on your face right now, I want to punch it,” Severa eyed the phone, trying to score a glance at the conversation, unsuccessfully.

“You’re just jealous because you don’t have _Lucina’s_ number~” He teased, not looking up from his phone. The silence that greeted him indicated he had struck a nerve, and he quickly pocketed his phone, looking at Severa who looked sad _and_ pissed off. Oh dear. “No sorry I didn’t mean it don’t look at me like that!”

“Shut up, idiot. I’m working on it. I don’t have summer classes so I’m out of excuses to go to the Library…” Severa bit her lip and looked away.

“You could just, you know, be reading? For fun? People do that you know,” Inigo stated matter of factly, scooping some whipped cream off his frap with a finger and sucking it off.

“Gross.” It was unclear what exactly she was referring to.

“Hey, if you like a librarian, it’s time to get reading,” Inigo shrugged,”Either that, or act like a keener and take out more bio books?” Severa was forced to admit defeat. Despite her stubbornness, she knew she could only complain so much without doing something. And so, Plan “Get Severa Laid or at Least in Contact With Cute Hopefully Lesbian Librarian Girl” (name to be changed) was put into action.

Step 1: Take out one book every few days. Make sure to return books so it looks like you finished them in that short time.

Step 2: Brag about how tired you are staying up all night reading. Hope that Lucina contributes to conversation.

Step 2b: If she doesn’t, ask if she has any book recommendations, since all these textbooks are too easy for you.

Step 3: “Cole’s Notes” whatever it is you were reading so you have stuff to talk about the next day.

Step 4: Ask if she wants to get coffee some time and talk about <whatever book>.

 

“Foolproof!” Inigo held out a hand for a high five, which was not reciprocated. Severa instead pocketed the scrap of paper that Plan GSLOALICWCHLLG was written on.

“It better be, idiot, or I’m making you buy me a coffee every day for a month.”

The stakes were high. Too bad Inigo was too blissfully in love to care.


	5. Chapter 5

After one particularly long Friday night at work, Inigo found himself crashing at Severa’s place, which was significantly closer than his apartment. The small townhouse was surprisingly spacious inside, with mismatching recliners, posters peeling off the walls, and a hunched girl as a centrepiece, her face lit up by the tv she was far too close to, a controller wedged in her hands.

“Inigo, my stepsister, Cynthia, Inigo,” She motioned from one to the other in a brief introduction. “Come on Cynth, Inigo needs a place to crash so shut it off,” Severa sighed, standing behind the girl and nudging her with her foot, “Besides it’s like almost four,, why are you still awake?”

“Hold on, lemme just….beat….this….shit,” the girl relaxed and leaned back, the screen darkening with the worlds “You Died” in ominous red writing. She turned around, and Inigo saw the girl looked pretty young, and the dark circles under her eyes implied this wasn’t a one time occurrence. Cynthia sighed and leaned forward to turn off the console, and stood up with the blanket she was sitting on as a cape.

“G’night…” she mumbled and dragged herself upstairs, leaving the two alone in the dark.

“I didn’t know you had a sister?” Inigo whispered, grabbing a pillow off the floor and tossing it on a recliner, sitting down.

“Step sister. My mom’s girlfriend’s daughter,” she motioned with her hands to emphasize the connection, “She’s still pretty much a kid.”

Inigo nodded, and tugged a throw blanket over him, “Thanks for letting me crash again,” he smiled and did an over the top wiggle as he got comfortable. Severa waved her hand but said nothing, heading up the stairs and turning off the lights behind her.

He snuck out at about 10, feeling gross and ready to shower. Sleeping on a chair wasn’t exactly ideal but last night he had been too tired to care - a shower and then a nap were calling his name. He flicked on his phone, and scrolled through a few facebook notifications absentmindedly. He only looked up at the sound of sirens, as a fire truck rushed by him. And then stopped. In front of his apartment building.

“...What?” Inigo glanced around at the other fire trucks and police cars that were already parked in front of his building, and pushed his way past into the main lobby, where his landlord was talking with what looked like a police officer.

“What?” He found himself repeating under his breath as his landlord noticed him, and jogged over, the creepy smile he always had slapped on his face never wavering.

“Here’s said fish himself. I hope the interview goes _swimmingly_ nya ha ha!” The white haired man laughed nasally and waved the police officer over.

Inigo zoned out for most of the discussion after the words “flooding”. Apparently some pipe had burst yesterday, and since then had continued to flood his entire apartment and leaked into the floor below. Of course the building would cover the cost, and the officer offered to escort him to grab some clothes for the next day and a bit while the mess was cleaned up. He swept a few shirts and socks into a bag, grabbed his laptop (which thankfully he left on a shelf) and waded through the foot-high pool that was his apartment. Entering the bathroom was a lost cause - a plumber was trying his hardest to block off the pipe under the sink that was spraying water like a fire hydrant, and so Inigo dejectedly left the apartment. _What._

He sent out two identical text messages.

 

10:02 AM

You’ll never guess what happened to me

tell me in 1h  
2 tired zzz

 

10:02 AM

You’ll never guess what happened to me

You had another sexy dream about yours truly? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What? Ok no, not this time, and also what even is that face?

So you admit you’ve had one before? NICE.

We’re putting a pin in that. No, my apartment is completely flooded.

Seriously? So are the floors below you totally submerged?

Haha.

IT WAS A SERIOUS QUESTION

I’m gonna have to live at Sev’s house for a few more days, she’s not gonna be happy.

Hold on

...Ok?

My mom says you can crash at my place

  
Inigo’s heart stopped. Not only was that wildly inappropriate, but he was actually considering it. He messaged Owain saying he’d think about it, then sat down on the bench outside his apartment. Obviously Owain’s mom had no idea what might be going on between them, unless she was like that mom in Mean Girls (damn he should watch that movie again). It would be so _so_ awkward though. But at the same time, he hadn’t seen Owain in person since their awkward grocery store meetup, so he was starved for attention. “Pathetic,” he heard Severa’s voice in his head, and shook it to clear it. But without thinking, he opened up his phone.

 

Severa can’t house me, so I guess I don’t have a choice. Thanks. Address?

 

The lie came way too easily. Inigo grinned and hugged his phone to his chest, more pleased than he should have been for having a flooded apartment. He headed to the nearest Starbucks to waste a few hours (and change his pants), waiting impatiently for the details.

 

* * *

 

“Hi there, come on in!” Owain’s mother answered the door, letting Inigo in and beaming plainly. The address was a little out of the way, so Inigo took the bus. He felt his palms sweating the way over, realizing now he was much too socially awkward for this.The blush managed to leave his face before he knocked on the door, but he felt as if somehow everyone knew how he was feeling anyway.

Owain stepped down the stairs, wearing jeans and a varsity jacket with the triforce symbol over his breast. He grinned widely and Inigo glanced nervously to the side.

“You’re a bit early, I’ll have dinner ready in a few. Owain, set the table? Four please, your father will be joining us tonight.” The alarm that passed over Owain’s face was quickly suppressed.

“One second, lemme show Inigo around!” He called back, then grabbed Inigo’s hand and led him upstairs. The tour was brief - all rooms were glossed over quickly until they reached Owain’s room. It was large, with books, a tv, posters, figures, and all sorts of collections. An air mattress was lying on the ground with a pillow and blanket. Inigo walked in and dropped his bag on the mattress, which bounced off immediately and spilled its contents.

He turned around to make a comment but was met with Owain’s lips instead. It was the first time he had felt Owain’s mouth somewhere else, but it felt good. Different from kissing girls, but Inigo wasn’t complaining. It ended too quickly.

“Ok, first of all, I’ve been waiting forever to do that. Second, my dad has no idea about anything so I need to make you a backstory.”

Inigo blinked hazily, nodding, wishing they could just kiss again, but the urgency in Owain’s voice sobered him up.

“So, you graduated a different University, with, uh, I guess an undergrad in….shit what sounds impressive, Computer Science?”

“I own a macbook. There’s no way anyone would believe that.”

“Ok, how about Chemistry?”

“Uh, sure, as long as you don’t ask me anything too particular. I mean, alcohol is a solution,” Inigo grinned and Owain paused, then snorted. The two laughed. This was happening. They just had to get through this war of a dinner, and the two were home free. They walked downstairs and Owain headed into the kitchen to help his mother, giving Inigo a chance to look around the main floor.

Now that he had a chance to think about it, this house was big. Like, rich people big. The dining room looked like something out of a magazine, all perfectly decorated, colour-coordinated, and seasonally appropriate. Photos of the family hung in the halls; Owain as a little kid in a pile of leaves, his mother and what he assumed to be his father sitting together on a bench, smiling pleasantly at the camera, Owain’s graduation picture (those were definitely braces), and a few pictures of a cat that Inigo had yet to see.  
He was taken from his observations as he heard the sound of the front door, and he turned to see a rather intimidating man in a suit walk in, then look at him in surprise. Owain’s father was at least 6’5, with stern eyes and tidy brown hair that was starting to grey around the temples. He raised a thick eyebrow at Inigo, the scowl not leaving his face, and Inigo wondered how he ever married someone like Lissa.

“Frederick!” Lissa’s head popped around the corner and she beamed at him, and Inigo saw the man’s scowl break into a small smile, “Owain brought a friend home for dinner!” His gaze turned again to Inigo, who felt his cheeks reddening at the attention.

“Hello, uh...sir?” He sounded like a high schooler taking out a girl to prom, voice crack included. He nodded curtly at him, sliding off his shoes and heading into the kitchen. Inigo guessed that meant he approved of him, and followed cautiously, shoving his hands into his pockets nervously. Owain swept by carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes, giving him a quick wink and a smile, and his worries melted away like the butter he could smell from that bowl.

“You’re just in time,” Inigo heard Lissa remark from the kitchen, “Sit down, I’ll let Owain introduce you. How was your day?”

“Long. Your brother really needs to figure out a better filing method than the one he has now.”

Inigo sat down at the table, his hands tensed in his lap, as Owain sat down next to him and squeezed his thigh under the table. Inigo yelped a bit and quickly bit his lip, staring down intently at the empty plate in front of him. He wasn’t sure what was going to be harder to deal with; Owain’s intimidating father, or his continuous toeing of the line. He gulped, as Frederick sat down across from him, placing his head on his hands and eyeing him up and down.

“So,” his voice rumbled deeply, and Inigo felt himself shrink, “Tell me about yourself.” Owain’s hand wasn’t comforting at all as it snaked further up his leg, and Inigo knew that if he survived this night, he’d be a praying man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is super short which is weird cause it took a while to write. Anyway, thanks for those of you who picked this just cause it was rated E and are holding out. We're getting there friends, it's gonna happen. Your comments are always appreciated, so thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inigo gets fucked over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go you perverts~

Inigo swallowed visibly, then ran a hand through his bangs nervously, trying to recall what he agreed on for his ‘backstory’.

“U-uh, that’s a pretty vague question,” he stuttered out, as Lissa entered the dining room with the biggest plate of lasagna he’d ever seen.

“Are you in school right now?” Lissa volunteered, reaching for Inigo’s plate to serve him.

“N-no, I’ve graduated,” his mind raced, “Plegia University.” Frederick raised an eyebrow (was that approval or doubt?). He immediately dug into his lasagna so he wouldn’t have to answer anything for a bit.

“How did you two become friends?” Frederick asked, straight to the point. Thankfully, Owain volunteered an answer.

“Oh, you know, I joined this...uh...community service club? And we met through there. Yeah.” Holy crap, Owain was a surprisingly bad liar for someone who pretends to be other people once a month. Frederick grunted in thanks as Lissa handed him a plate. Inigo felt like he was being interviewed. It’s not like he was here as Owain’s boyfriend, well, I mean, he was, but not that they knew. Wait, were they boyfriends? Meeting parents is pretty boyfriend-y? He stole a side glance at Owain, who gave him a thumbs up under the table and grinned.

“So, what do your parents do?” Lissa smiled at him and offered him another slice of garlic bread. She was so nice, cheery, and so opposite of the militaristic commander of a father that sat next to her.

“Oh, uh, my mother dances,” he noticed the questioning look she gave him, and clarified, “Like, she’s a backup dancer for celebrities who go on tour. She’s somewhere right now on tour with my step-dad.” Why did people always make such bad assumptions about dancers? “And what about you?”

“Oh, I really just take care of things here,” Lissa volunteered, “And Frederick here runs the Registrar’s Office at Owain’s school!” Inigo had enough bad experiences with registrar’s offices to know how infuriatingly bureaucratic they were. It seemed perfect.

Conversation slowed, and Inigo was just starting to feel comfortable when he felt Owain’s hand return to his thigh. He snuck his phone out of his pocket and texted him quickly without looking at it.

 

6:25 PM

 

How dangerusly doyou like to live?

 

Owain didn’t even take out his phone at the buzz, his hand tightening around his thigh and moving slowly back to the position it last was. Inigo felt himself harden under his jeans, and cursed in his head. Lissa stood up to clear plates, leaving Inigo alone with the two men. Frederick returned his gaze to Inigo, and he felt himself blushing from the combination of attention.

 "Owain doesn’t bring friends home often.” Was that some kind of threat?

 “Yeah, it’s just that my apartment flo-” his word caught in his throat as he felt Owain’s hand tighten around his cock. He cleared his throat, “Flooded. Sorry, got a bit of a cough,” he coughed into his fist with as much realism as he could muster. Frederick nodded understandingly, then turned to Owain.

“Maybe you should think about getting your own apartment soon? You’re an adult now.”

“Weren’t you going to let me stay until I finished my undergrad?” Owain answered with an extremely straight face, while his hand started pumping slowly. Inigo took back his thought about him being a bad liar. “Besides, you always say I should be focusing on school.”

 “Well, that is true,” Frederick replied gruffly, caught in his own words, “But you’ll have to be independent at some point.”

 “Yeah yeah, I will, I just started university, give me a break,” Owain sighed, hooking a finger under the edge of Inigo’s pants. He hid a whine in another cough, and Frederick offered him a handkerchief (do people even carry those anymore?). He was saved by Lissa returning with a plate of cookies and a smile.

 “Stop grilling the boys, you were young once too, dear.”

 “Was I? I don’t remember,” he replied, no hint of humour despite making a joke. Inigo reached for a cookie, using the excuse to lean into Owain’s hand a bit more, but Owain’s hand moved to take one as well. Apparently, he had lost to a cookie.

 “Fwanks mowm,” Owain shoved an entire cookie in his mouth before speaking, and she rolled her eyes. Inigo smiled a bit. He couldn’t remember the last family dinner he had been to, and it definitely wasn’t home cooked. He had lived off way too much takeout as a kid, with his mom being busy and not a very good cook to boot. And a few cookies later, his trial was over.

“We’re gonna go play video games in my room!” Owain stood up suddenly, grabbing another cookie and nudging Inigo

“Th-thanks for dinner, Ms. ...”

“Just call me Lissa. Have fun you two!” She started to clear plates, and Frederick gave the two a suspicious look as Owain dragged Inigo off.

Inigo followed him into his room, and Owain closed the door behind him.

“What was that? Did you _want_ t-” But his sentence was cut off as Owain pushed him against the closed door. Inigo felt his heart thumping in his chest, as he looked up at the blonde who was so close to his face he could smell the chocolate on his breath.

“ _Yes_ ,” Owain breathed, then kissed him.

It wasn’t like the kiss earlier, too quick for him to process and over too fast. This kiss _lasted_. Inigo slid his arms around Owain’s shoulders, and parted his lips. He felt overwhelmed with the scent and sensations of Owain, desperate for more. The two found a rhythm, mouths moving in sync, their bodies pushing closer to each other.

 Inigo hazily realized he had the upper hand in kissing experience, and tentatively inched his tongue past Owain’s lips. The pleasant moan that followed encouraged him, and he tightened his grip around Owain’s shoulders. It only took a few moments for Owain to get into the rhythm, and the heady sigh he let out reverberated into every inch of Inigo’s body. One of Owain’s hands stayed by Inigo’s waist while the other gently cupped his face, then moved to the back of his head and pulled Inigo closer. Inigo noted how pleasant his fingers felt, moving through the locks of his hair, and he was starting to get overwhelmed by how much of Owain was touching him; tongue, hands, and the growing hardness he was feeling against his thigh. Not that he could talk.

Owain moved his lips down Inigo’s jaw and to his neck, kissing and sucking, the hand near Inigo’s waist moving down his hips to grab his ass.

“Hahh...I didn’t...didn’t think that dinner would...ever...end,” Inigo whispered through pants, flushed and hard, as Owain kissed up to his ear with feverish need.

“Admit it, you liked being teased,” Owain hissed into his ear, and he squeezed his ass firmly. Inigo let out a whine that might have been a bit too loud, so Owain covered his mouth with his own lips, fingers moving down from Inigo’s hair down his neck. Inigo pulled away from the kiss, hazily watching the string of saliva connecting their lips and leaning his forehead against his.

“Maybe there’s...a better place to do this than against this,” Inigo suggested, licking his lips, “thin door?” Owain blinked slowly at him, then turned him around and walked him over to the bed, climbing on top of his hips to look down at the disheveled man.

“You’re right,” Owain moved closer until their lips were centimetres away, “This is better.” He slid a hand under Inigo’s shirt, lifting it slowly to reveal his stomach. Inigo shivered and looked up at the blonde man, biting his lip as if to stop all the words that wanted to spill out. His eyes were intense, and the slight grin he wore was unbelievably sexy. He lifted his head slightly so that their lips met, and Owain was encouraged to continue, pushing Inigo’s shirt up to his shoulders, then separating from their kiss to run his tongue up Inigo’s chest. Inigo suddenly felt like Owain on his knees over him wasn’t close enough for his liking, and tugged on the back of his thighs. Obliging, Owain lowered himself on top of Inigo so that they were pressed together in more ways than one.

Owain’s lips went from his chest back to his neck, sucking near his collarbone in what Inigo assumed would be a glaring hickey in the morning. He moaned at the sensation, rocking his hips slightly despite his intentions. Owain’s weight on top of him coupled with his erection caused a feeling of friction and _need_ that Inigo had never felt before.

“O-owain, I-” he never finished the thought because, as if he knew, Owain slipped a hand down between them and undid Inigo’s belt. The anticipation was driving him more crazy as Owain slowly undid the button, then the zipper. In frustration, he wiggled free of his jeans, and whispered out a needy ‘please’. Owain smiled slyly and cupped him, rocking his hand against Inigo gently, absorbing every moan, twitch, and gasp for future reference. After a few strokes, he slipped a finger under his boxers, causing Inigo to jolt a bit and let out a hiss of pleasure. Owain took the hint and tugged down his underwear, freeing Inigo’s desperate cock, and, doing what he did best, captured it with his mouth. Inigo’s hips bucked and Owain felt his entire body tense up in response. The blonde sucked gently, at first, but introduced some tongue once Inigo started to relax, keeping him tense and wanting.

Inigo squeezed his eyes shut, seeing stars behind his eyes as he felt the mouth he had been missing the past month pleasuring him in ways that weren’t possible behind the bar. He glanced down at Owain, who also had had his eyes closed. His blonde curls bounced with every movement, and Inigo couldn’t resist running a hand through them. The lust-filled eyes that met his froze time for a moment. Inigo had never fell so hard, and he felt the blush on his cheeks spread warm throughout his body.

 He watched as the other man sat up on his heels, and undid his jacket, peeling his t-shirt off slowly for Inigo’s entertainment. He wasn’t exactly ripped, Inigo noted, but he was definitely attractive. Inigo flashed back to his dance classes in high school, looking at the other men in the changeroom; he definitely had gotten used to a certain body ideal. Owain was different though, lithe and soft, and Inigo wanted to bury his face into his skin. He leaned down to kiss him, and the skin on skin contact caused a ripple of electricity between the two men. Owain let out a breathy moan, and rocked his hips against Inigo’s. Inigo matched the motion, hearing the bed springs squeak beneath them, but not caring about anything but the feeling of Owain humping him, his tongue in his mouth, and his hands…everywhere.

The motions quickened, and Inigo’s breathing did too. He was about to say something when Owain sat up suddenly and fumbled at his own pants. Inigo’s mind flashed in alarm at the implications here. He had barely come to terms with the fact that he was bi, he hadn’t even had time to consider how this was going to work. Owain yanked down his pants to reveal his own erection, and leaned over Inigo to reach into a drawer next to his bed.

“W-w-wait,” Inigo sputtered out, as Owain sat up again, fumbling with a condom, “Who’s...I’ve never, that is…” he blushed furiously.

Owain paused, “I mean, I’ve watched enough porn. It should be fine?”

Crap, Owain was new to this too? Wait, was he going to take his virginity?! Although, with the way things were playing out, Inigo wasn’t going to be the one doing the taking.

“Are you sure, like, we can wait?” Inigo protested as Owain slid the condom over his own cock.

“I’ve been waiting five months, and you have too,” Owain leaned over Inigo, planting a kiss on him, “Or did you think I just sucked the dick of every guy I met?” Inigo tried not to let himself get aroused at the dirty bluntness of his partner, but failed. He was handed a bottle of some kind of lube, and he blinked at it dumbly.

“Would you rather I do it?” Owain reached to take the bottle, but Inigo tugged it away from his grasp.

“No, I...I can, I guess,” Inigo swallowed, squeezing some of the cold lotion onto his fingers, and hesitated right before his entrance, inhaling sharply through his nose.

“Don’t worry,” Owain’s voice lowered, and he gently took his hand, “It’ll feel good.” He uncurled Inigo’s fingers, and guided it there, then slowly in. Inigo let himself be led by Owain, the discomfort erased by the image of Owain leading him to fingerfuck himself. It was embarrassing and yet hot. Inigo considered if he had a humiliation kink, but was cut from his thoughts by Owain pressing another finger inside him, causing him to clench and groan. Owain leaned over to kiss him again and Inigo felt his cock brush his, another wave of arousal washing over him. He swallowed loudly, then looked up at Owain, who was watching him tenderly.

“O-ok, I’m ready.” Owain kissed him again, spreading his legs and removing Inigo’s fingers. He positioned his tip at the entrance, and Inigo bit his lip, taking in the moment. Grabbing Inigo’s hips, he slipped in and Inigo felt a sudden fullness that overwhelmed him, causing him to groan and whimper.

“Just breathe,” Owain leaned closer and waited for Inigo to inhale, then pressed himself in a bit further. Inigo took a few shaking breaths, then gave Owain a small nod. The hands around his hips tightened as Owain rocked, gently at first. Inigo grimaced at the discomfort, but after one particularly deep thrust, he felt a pleasure that he had never experienced before, and let out a gasping moan. The thrusts continued, harder and faster, as the two adjusted to the feeling. Owain’s cock pulsed inside him, as Inigo tightened around it, wanting the feeling to continue, to be fucked deeper.

“Shit, Inigo,” Owain hissed through gritted teeth, “You’re so tight, it’s…” his hips sped up, the slapping of his thighs against his hips echoing in Inigo’s ears. Every thrust reverberated through his body, the pressure and fullness that had only minutes ago given him great discomfort, suddenly something he wanted, _needed_ . He heard himself crying out Owain’s name, but the sound seemed so far away, like trying to hear a conversation over a loud bassline. Owain grabbed the sides of his hips, lifting Inigo slightly to get a better angle, and _oh boy_ was it a better angle. Inigo grabbed futilely behind his head for something to ground him as he felt himself moving towards climax. He settled for grabbing the edge of the bed, his gasps and moans sounding further and further away as he got closer and closer. Owain was fucking him harder and harder, the even rhythm he started with devolving into erratic spasms. Inigo tensed, and before he could say anything, ejaculated over his stomach, a few splatters of white making it up his chest and to his face. Owain opened his eyes at Inigo’s groan, and inhaled sharply at the image in front of him. It was enough to push him over the edge as well, and with a final hard thrust and a long drawn out groan, Owain came as well. 

Heavy breathing, a few final whimpers, then Owain pulled out, the cream spilling out of Inigo and onto the bed.

“Shit,” Owain grabbed his t-shirt to mop up the mess, as Inigo lay there, still covered in his own cum, eyes glazed over. He had just been fucked, and _damn_.

“Here, uh,” Owain grabbed a tissue and started to wipe at Inigo’s stomach, “Are you...ok?” The sexy Owain had been replaced with awkward young adult Owain, who looked a bit concerned that he had broken the man

“I’m...ok,” Inigo answered hesitantly, “I’m just….recovering.” He took the tissue from Owain and finished mopping himself up.

“You, er, missed a spot,” Owain ran a finger down Inigo’s chin, wiping the last splatter off. Inigo paused, then laughed quietly, and leaned forward to kiss Owain.

“Thanks. Ok, be straight with me,” he ignored the snicker from Owain, “Was I really loud? Are your parents going to burst in any moment? Should I start praying?”

“Nah, you were fine, besides my parents soundproofed my room when I took up guitar.”

“You play guitar?”

“Not well.”

The two sat in naked silence. It was kind of awkward at first, but then Owain laid down next to Inigo and rested his head on his shoulder. Inigo kissed the top of his head.

“So, did I technically take your virginity?” Inigo teased a bit, feeling a little more confident in himself now that he wasn’t being fucked.

“I mean, I guess, but I think I get to claim some sort of first here too,” Owain retorted, running his hand down Inigo’s chest, “I have conquered your body, and now you belong to me, my pet.” Inigo snorted and started laughing, turning to face the taller man.

  
“Well, my liege. What do you want to do to me _now_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh this took a while, I'm sorry. It was really hard to write for some reason (ha ha). 
> 
> Anyway, comments are my lifeblood and every time someone gives me a comment I cry a bit out of joy, so please continue to let me know what you think! And I also don't have an editor so feel free to point out really dumb mistakes, we all make them ^^;;


	7. Mini Side Chapter =

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a bit of a rut so have a tiny Severa chapter to tide you over while I figure my shit out <3

Severa stood in line at the university library, several books clutched to her chest, and Inigo’s sheet of paper clenched in a fist. She inhaled, then exhaled, glancing ahead to see the blue haired girl she had been pining over working as usual. She stamped a book, and gave the guy in front of her the cutest smile. Damn him. And damn Severa for being such a wimp.

“Next?” The girl called out as the man in front walked away. Severa felt herself stiffen as she placed the collection of books on the table, going over the plan in her head again. It was fine. She could do this.

 “Welcome, did you find everything you were looking for?” She asked Severa, who struggled to stutter out a response.

 “Y-yeah, I…” she swallowed, mind racing. “I keep finishing these too fast, so I-I need to get new ones, like, really often.”

 “Really? Wow, that’s impressive, it takes me almost a week to finish something small.” Lucina replied with a chuckle, opening the top book to stamp it with the date. Severa felt the lie sticking to the back of her throat, and wondered dully if the plan was _really_ the best way of going about this.

 “Er, yeah, I can’t get enough. D-d-do you have any recommendations? Something tougher than these?” Severa felt her legs buckling, but she pressed on valiantly. “Since you work in the library and all…”

 Lucina paused and looked at her, then bit her lip, looking up in thought (holy crap that was cute). Then she grinned and stood up; “Wait right here! I’ll grab it!”

 Severa was left at the desk, watching the swoosh of the librarian’s hair behind her as she dashed off to the fiction section. What kind of book was she going to recommend? Maybe it was something so new and heavy that there weren’t any notes online about it? Her worries swirled as Lucina returned with a pile of books, pushing them towards Severa with a big smile.

 “I love these books, they’re not ‘heavy’ or anything, but like, there are seven of them so? That should tide you over a little bit?” Severa looked down at the books - familiar covers with illustrations of a dark haired boy holding a wand, fighting a dragon, etc.

 “Uh, thanks, I’ve been…” Severa paused, “I’ve been meaning to reread these.” Everyone’s read these, supposedly? There were some movies, at least..

 “Want me to check them out for you?” Lucina sat down again, pulling out her stamp.

 “I’d like you to check _me_ out,” Severa thought aggressively, but just nodded in return. She picked up the pile of books and slid them into her backpack, looking behind her at the line that was forming. Tomorrow. She’d ask her out tomorrow.

 

12:41 PM

yo inigo i need sm words of wisdom

or smth

helloooo?

 

Last Message Sent: 12:43 PM

Ugh. Severa guessed he was still salty about her ignoring his text this morning. She sat down at one of the library tables in the New Age section. It was almost always empty, and had a nice view of the main desk. Setting up her laptop, Severa slunk down in her chair so that she wasn’t too visible, and opened the Coles Notes webpage. She remembered how excited Lucina had seemed at the idea of her reading them, and picked up the first one, flipping it over in her hands. Not too long. Maybe she could read the first one, and read the summaries of the rest of them.

 She cracked open the first book, glancing down at the checked out names. Lucina’s name popped up every so often; she was obviously a fan. Severa pawed through the pages, then flipped back to the first page of the first chapter.

 

***

 

“I don’t _remember_ the last time I finished a book so fast!” Severa slammed three books down on the kitchen table, causing Cynthia to look up from her DS.

“Harry Potter?” She turned back to her game, uninterested.

 “Hey, I never read as a kid, and I never bothered to see the movies, so this is new to me okay?” Severa retorted, sitting down across from her step sister. “Also, your cereal is gonna get soggy.”

“Shit!” The younger girl shoveled the indeed soggy frosted flakes into her mouth. Severa sighed, and pulled out a monstrous fourth volume, flipping to the first page. She hadn’t slept at all the night before, but all nighters weren’t anything new in their house. She was beginning to think Cynthia was nocturnal.

 “Swo, who’s dza ggrl now?” Cynthia questioned, through a mouth full of spoon. Severa felt herself redden.

 “Wh-what do you mean? Not everything I do is because of some...some _girl_. And besides,” she continued, slamming her book closed. “She just suggested it because they’re her favourite books, and I-” she watched Cynthia’s face turn smug, and pulled out a retort. “Don’t you have like, somewhere to go or something?”  

“Gamestop doesn’t open until 10,” Cynthia yawned, and Severa glanced at the clock; 9:33.

“How have you not been fired yet?” 

“Because I’m a cute girl working at a game store and I know my shit.” Cynthia replied, returning to her game. Severa rolled her eyes, then returned to her book. She’d go back to the library, but not too early. She didn’t want to seem _desperate_. Even if she was.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHOS BACK BACK AGAIN
> 
> Sorry friends, I was in con crunch, working on my Soleil cosplay (which turned out great if I do say so myself), but now I've had a chance to sit down and write again. So here you guys go, thanks for your patience!

Inigo thought of all the romance movies he had seen. Once a couple actually, you know, _did it_ , everything was sexy and romantic and different. What he hadn’t expected was to be playing Mario Kart with Owain a few hours later like teenagers.

“You really suck at this,” Owain stated matter of factly, knocking Inigo’s cart over with a well timed green shell.

Yeah, it wasn’t exactly like he thought it would be.

“I’m an Xbox man myself, these games aren’t-” he winced as an NPC flung a banana at him, putting him from 10th to 12th place, “Aren’t my forte.”

“Obviously,” Owain smirked, as he passed the finish line, earning him a gold “1st place” on his screen. The two were in pajamas, Inigo leaning against Owain’s bed, and Owain sitting dangerously close to the tv screen.

“Okay, this sucks, let’s play something else,” Inigo sighed heavily, tossing the controller down.

“You’re such a sore loser,” Owain snickered, then covered one eye with his hand dramatically, “Although, the challenge or trial matters not, for you shall not defeat Odin Dark!” That earned an exaggerated eye roll from Inigo.

“Where do you come up with this stuff?”

“I play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons.”

“Nerd.”

Inigo checked his phone - it was almost one in the morning. Nothing he wasn’t used to with work, but he was feeling particularly tired after tonight. He failed to stifle a yawn.

“Alright, I’m done. Someone has to be the adult here and go to bed at a reasonable hour,” He stretched and pushed himself upright, ignoring the sour look his boyfriend (boyfriend!) gave him.

“You’re only like a year older than me,” Owain sulked, shutting down the wii begrudgingly. More like 4 years, but Inigo held his tongue, laying out a blanket on the air mattress and settling in. Owain shut off the light, then launched himself into his bed backwards. The bedsprings cried in protest, as they obviously had many times before.

“You know I think we can share a bed,” Owain hung upside-down off the bed, looking at Inigo in the dark, “I think we’ve reached that point.” 

“I don’t feel like getting murdered by your parents if they happen to barge in. They seem like the type,” Inigo rolled away, hiding his face. That wasn’t the whole truth; in all honesty, Inigo didn’t trust himself. Not awake, and definitely not asleep. 

The two laid in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, and Inigo checked his phone. Nothing since the message from Severa, not that he had answered it yet. Whatever it was, he was sure she’d have it figured out by now.

“You know,” Owain mumbled, so quietly Inigo almost missed it, “You could come join us some time?”

“Huh? Join what?”

“Dungeons and Dragons…” Inigo paused, darting his eyes to Owain’s bed, but he was rolled over with the blankets pulled up to his ears. He smiled.

“I’ll think about it.”

 

***

 

His phone rang way too early to be allowed. Inigo ignored Owain’s groan of protest as he answered it.

“Good morning!” A cheery voice echoed loudly in his ear, and Inigo held the phone a bit away from him, and glanced at the time. 6:32.

“H-hello? Speaking?” He whispered into the phone, hoping the other party would get the message.

“Your landlord, Henry, remember?” The voice did not waver, nor lose any of its unnatural cheeriness. “They fixed up your apartment! Even mopped it up! I figured you’d want to know ASAP.”

“Uh, right, thanks for letting me know,” Inigo rubbed his eye, “ASAP, as you said.”

“Don’t be such a wet blanket, this is good news! Get it? Wet blanket? Cause your apartment flooded? Nya ha ha!” Then Inigo heard the click of the phone hanging up. Incredible.

“My apartment’s fixed,” Inigo whispered to Owain, who grunted and rolled over.

He couldn’t be woken for another few hours. Inigo slipped back into dreams for a bit and woke up around nine, but Owain remained mostly unconscious until closer to noon. Inigo was too nervous to leave the room by himself, so he ended up playing games on his phone for the remaining time, silently cursing his social anxiety.

“Mmmm,” Owain announced his presence, and Inigo looked up from his phone.

“Oh thank God, I’m starving. Can we get breakfast? Er...lunch?” He clambered to his feet, as Owain yawned, propping himself up slowly.

“You could have gotten something while I was asleep?” He cracked his neck (Inigo winced), then swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Haha, yeah, I guess,” Inigo opened the door, following Owain to the kitchen. He watched as Owain, eyes closed as if in a trance, pulled a box of cereal out and poured it into a bowl, then stuck a spoon in and started eating. Inigo decided not to question the lack of milk, and stuck his head into the pantry, grabbing a pop tart and unwrapping it.

“Did you mean it?” He asked suddenly, and Owain whirled around and stared at him wide eyed.

“Oh man did I say something stupid? Cause like, I guess I get emotional or maybe talk in my sleep or-”

“What? I meant about inviting me to play Dungeons and Dragons...what did you…?” Inigo raised an eyebrow at Owain, who shovelled more cereal into his mouth as a response. He swallowed, then nodded.

“Yeah! It’s super fun, and like, it’s not a cult like people say it is. And it’d be fun to have you meet some of my friends! Although you’ve met Brady...but he’s my cousin, so not really my friend. But he _is_ my friend,” He started rambling on, and Inigo smiled behind his pop tart.

“Well I mean I’d like to, I don’t know, go on a date or something before I start meeting your friends. That’s generally how adults do things.”

“When did you become the authority on adulthood?” Owain retorted, dumping his empty bowl into the sink, “And besides, what about all the LARP nights we...hung out at?”

Inigo snorted, “Those definitely don’t qualify as dates. Seriously, let me take you out to dinner,” He leaned against the counter next to Owain, “Somewhere fancy and ‘adult’. No McDonalds runs.”

“Making me out into some kind of child only makes you look like a cradle robber,” Owain stood up and winked at Inigo, “Just sayin. I’m gonna shower.” He turned around and headed back upstairs, leaving Inigo alone in the kitchen. He had a point. Inigo had always had a thing for older women, and now… well this was the opposite. He headed back up after finishing his ‘breakfast’. Owain was already in the shower, and he could hear some kind of...singing coming from there?

“JIBUN WO SEKAI SAEMO KAETE SHIMAESOUNA~”

It wasn’t in any language he could understand. He pulled on a fresh t shirt, combed his hair with his fingers, sighing. If only he grabbed his hair products. Picking his jeans off the floor, he thought back to the night before, a blush climbing his cheeks. Everything was going….really fast. He was nervous. Yeah he had invited Owain out on a date, but he hadn’t really ever taken a guy on a date. Do you still hold doors open for them? Maybe Severa would have some advice.

 

12:22 PM

 

Did you get whatever advice you needed?

Sorry I didn’t reply, I was tied up.

o man ur nvr gonna beliv what hpned

Severa please use full sentences

fk u

You can either tell me over text or we can meet up before work.

im @ strbks rn

Ok see you soon!

c? u can read my shthnd

Shithound?

fk u

 

Last Message Received at: 12:26 PM

 

It was at that moment that Owain walked in totally naked. Inigo looked up from his phone and screamed, covering his face.

“Owain what the hell?”

“What? My parents are gone, and besides, you literally just saw all this last night?”

“I...I guess?” Inigo lowered his hands, but his blush was fully visible. 

Owain laughed, “And you call me a nerd.” He bent down to pull a pair of underwear out of a drawer, and Inigo glanced away, but not before he got a full view of Owain’s skinny pale ass. Incredible.

“Uh, so I’m meeting a friend of mine for…” he paused, as Owain turned around, causing Inigo to look away again, “F-for coffee soon, so I’m gonna head out. Th-thanks for having me over.”

“Well now that your apartment’s all good, you can pay me back sometime!” Owain pulled on a pair of underwear, much to Inigo’s relief. “I’m sure your place is all cool and ‘adult’.”

“I thought we agreed to drop the age difference thing?”

“Fine fine. Hold up though,” Owain walked towards him and tilted his chin up for a kiss. Any blush that was gone had surely returned, Inigo thought. Owain’s bare chest felt warm against him, and Inigo stole an extra kiss before Owain could pull back. Small victories.

“I’ll text you about our...our date,” The words struggled to leave his mouth, but the smile that lit up Owain’s face made it worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Owain is singing Colors by Flow, the first Code Geass opening. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUH9S44D1BM


	9. Chapter 9

Inigo pushed open the door of his usual Starbucks, glancing around for the distinctive red hair of his best friend. He spotted her, nose buried in a book. 

“Hey Sev,” he pulled out the chair across from her, startling her into looking up from the book. Inigo’s eyes darted to the cover, “You’re reading Harry Potter?” Severa slammed her book closed, her expression hard to read. 

“Y-yeah, er...so what will I never guess happened to you?” She deflected, opening her book again so she could properly bookmark it. Inigo paused, trying to remember what he had texted her about.  

“Oh, right! My apartment flooded.”

“What?”

“And I needed to crash somewhere…”

“Oh my god, and I never replied, I’m so sor-”

“Please,” Inigo grinned, “Don’t apologize.” Severa raised an eyebrow as Inigo continued, “I ended up staying at….at Owain’s house.”

Inigo didn’t think it was possible for anyone to make an actual :O face but Severa came pretty damn close. 

“WHAT?” She gasped, then glanced around in embarrassment, “What?” She whispered. Inigo’s blush and grin told the whole story, and Severa grabbed his shoulders, shaking them slightly with her mouth still open. 

“You...you SLUT!” She said with more force than probably intended, but her smile cut the insult down quickly, “I can’t  _ believe _ you!” Inigo laughed a little and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He recounted the awkward family dinner; Severa’s eyes narrowed in recognition at Owain’s father. Probably infamous around the university. Inigo’s voice caught in his throat as he recounted Owain pushing him against the door, and Severa thankfully waved her hand for him to stop talking. She cleared the blush from her cheeks with a quick flip of her hair over her shoulder.

“Alright, my turn,” Inigo raised an eyebrow as Severa clasped her hands in front of her, leaning forward like a woman with a secret she was ready to spill, “I talked to Lucina.” Inigo had expected something like this, and smiled at her, about to say something, but was cut off by her hand.

“So she recommended these books for me, and I can’t even deal with how good they are,” she motioned to the Harry Potter book she had been reading, “And I came back to tell her because….well because I hadn’t had any sleep the night before and honestly I have no idea  _ what _ I was thinking…” Inigo nodded, letting her continue, “So I went over to the library and ended up gushing at her, which, now that I look back on it, is  _ really _ embarrassing,” she paled a bit, putting her head in her hands, but recovered enough to continue, “And she said we should hang out some time once I’m finished the series to talk about it!”

Inigo blinked, thrown off a bit by Severa’s positive enthusiasm, but by the manic look into her eyes and the dark bags that hung under them, she wasn’t functioning at full capacity.

“I’m really happy for you, although it kind of sounds like she asked  _ you _ out.”

Severa’s eyebrows raised, then furrowed, then raised again as she realized the obvious.

“She….she asked... _ me _ out?” She palmed the book, pausing for a moment before glancing back up at Inigo, “Does that mean she likes me? Is she gay or just really nice?”

“Can’t she be both?”

Severa nodded at this, but still looked perturbed, “I have her number now, so-”

“So she’s definitely into you!” Inigo interjected, “No one gives out their number to random girls they just started talking to unless they’re into them.”

“Since when did you become the expert on girls, Mr. Dick up the ass?”

As much as Inigo was relieved to hear her usual snaps return, his cheeks burned, and as if in response, so did his aforementioned ass. 

“A-anyway, what book are you on now?” He dodged, glancing at the book under her hands again.

“The fifth one, but I just started. If I pull another all nighter tonight maybe I can finish the whole series?”

“Severa you are going to pass out, we have work tonight,” Inigo put a hand on hers, and he could have sworn he saw her eye twitch.

“But, I have to finish as soon as possible! I need to be done so I can talk about them!” The desperation in her voice betrayed her, and Inigo stood up.

“I’m buying you a coffee so you make it through this. She will wait for you.” His voice was strict, and Severa’s shoulders fell in response. 

Walking up to the counter, Inigo glanced back at his tired friend. Inigo had known Severa for enough time to know her thought process; she was relentless with what she wanted. She wanted to beat this book series, to “win” against it and claim her date as a reward. It was hard being the mom friend sometimes. The coffee in hand, he returned to Severa’s table, to see her leaning against her palm, eyes closed. He sighed, and pulled out his phone.

 

2:02 PM

Hey Kjelle, I’m texting you to let you know that Severa is sick

Sorry for the last minute-ness

It is fine as long as ur coming in ??? :^)

Of course. No need for vaguely threatening emojis

>:^( 

 

Inigo directed an uber he had called for Severa to her address, watching it drive off, content with himself. He still had a few hours before work, so it was time for some date preparations. 

 

***

 

3:45 PM

So about that date I want to take you on…

I’m listening?  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Stop using that face, it’s weird.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Nevermind, date cancelled.

Nooooo I’m sorry, where are you taking me, o handsome barkeep?

Nice fancy dinner, something you need to dress nice for. 

I’ll send you the address in a sex.

I meant sec* 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Last Message Received at: 3:48 PM

 

***

 

The week felt longer than any week Inigo had ever experienced, maybe save for that time his mother sent him to a summer camp (He didn’t like bugs. Or dirt. Or other children.). Severa showed up the next day at work looking more like her usual self, but snuck out a book whenever Kjelle wasn’t paying attention. More people were coming in during the week since it was officially summer vacation for universities, and despite the decent tips, it was exhausting. 

 

11:57 PM

This is the second barfight Kjelle’s broken up.

It’s not even midnight.

...I can’t wait for our date.

 

Inigo nervously checked his phone. Maybe that sounded too desperate? He watched Kjelle drag off a man in a tank top and snapback by the arms with the brute strength only she could pull off. The man he was ‘fighting’ lay on the floor, the smashed glass of a drink Inigo had just made next to him, and a line of blood dripping down between his glasses. Great.

When he returned with a mop, the man was at the bar with Kjelle, who was holding a damp cloth to his forehead.

“I am  _ so _ sorry, sir. I’ve already called the police, I hope you won’t hold this against the bar-”

“No no, do not worry,” The man waved his hand, “It was probably because I asked him what substance he had put in that woman’s drink.” Kjelle’s mouth opened, then she turned to look at the door, then back to him. The man smiled at her blankly. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, but usually Inigo was keeping an eye on the bar, it must have been at one of the tables. He went back to prepping, listening in to the conversation as best he could with the noise.

“The police might still want you as a witness,” Kjelle had finished.

“Not a problem, I’ve always wanted to document the experience of bearing witness to a crime. I wonder how it holds up to entertainment crime dramas,” The man replied thoughtfully, pushing his glasses up on his face. What an airhead. Inigo rolled his eyes. Kjelle laughed at the man, who raised an eyebrow back at her.

 

12:03 AM

Ok and now she’s flirting with one of the fighters.

Oh my god this is painful to watch…

Let me know if I’m bothering you, haha.

Nah, just messaging between rounds ;) 

I’m so excited, I can’t wait to be whisked off my feet

Is there gonna be a white horse? 

You going to put your jacket over a puddle so I can walk over it? 

We’re in a drought right now.

Boo. 

Crap, gotta go, tty in like 45 minutes.

Last Message Received: 12:05 AM

 

 

He pocketed his phone again, glancing up at Severa who was hovering by the bar.

“You’re not allowed to text at work~,” she chastised in a sing songy voice.

“You would have been fired months ago if Kjelle actually cared,” Inigo nodded his head towards where she was sitting, “Finished your books?” He changed the subject,

“Yeah, I just gotta….” she pulled out her own phone, trailing off. 

“Here,” Inigo held out his hand for it, “Lemme see. Has she texted you yet?” Severa paused before sliding the phone into his hand, shaking her head.

“I didn’t give her my number back, I was...surprised, I guess.”

Inigo flipped to the contact info, then opened a message and fired off a few quick texts.

 

12:09 AM

hey its severa the grl from the library

i finished the books

u still on to chat abt them ??

maybe at like a cafe or w/e?

 

“INIGO WHAT THE HELL,” Severa snatched the phone out of his hands, looking down in horror at the messages, “Y-you sent them?” 

“Well you weren’t going to. Man, you have to  _ work _ at some of that shorthand. Seriously, is it worth the effort?” Severa met his question with a glare, her face reddening. Her anger was interrupted by her phone buzzing, and she fumbled with it, opening the message with bated breath.

 

maybe at like a cafe or w/e?

Ah that sounds wonderful! Are you free tomorrow? ^u^

 

Severa let out a silent scream as Inigo pried the phone from her hands, scanning the message.

“What do I say?” 

“Yes? Aren’t you off tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Severa chewed her lip, “It’s so...sudden? What do I say? WHAT DO I WEAR?” Kjelle looked over at her outburst, and Severa’s shoulders sagged, looking at Inigo pleadingly.

“I don’t know, something cute? Whatever you normally wear? Just cause I have a boyfriend doesn’t mean I’m suddenly your ‘gay best friend’.” Severa sighed, typing out a response and shoving the phone in Inigo’s face for approval.

 

maybe at like a cafe or w/e?

Ah that sounds wonderful! Are you free tomorrow? ^u^

ya i am. strbucks @ king/uni @ 3?

  
“Looks good,” Inigo smiled, pressing send, much to Severa’s dismay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends, I'm back. This is kind of an in between chapter so uhhhh sorry if not much happens, next chapter is double the dates :) 
> 
> Love to my friend Chris who betas all my work now and is an absolute treasure <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I'm not dead? Surprising. 
> 
> SORRY FAM I've been in cosplay hell and also depression hell but that's lame no one wants to hear that lets go to the story. 
> 
> Listening to this playlist while writing and it is a godsend thank you http://8tracks.com/arcfire/whiplash

Severa checked her hair for the eighth time in the past ten minutes in the selfie camera of her phone. It’s fine. You’re fine. The coffee she had ordered sat steaming and untouched next to the pile of books she was figuratively (or maybe literally?) going to be hiding behind.    
  


2:56 PM

inigo im dyin

sos 

Last Message Sent: 2:57 PM

 

She shut her phone in a huff and glanced back up to the door of her usual starbucks, but no one opened it. Granted, she had arrived half an hour early, so it was unlikely Lucina would be here already. Inigo of course was probably spending the day primping, but Severa flipped on her phone again just to check. 

“Hey…?” 

Severa’s head shot up to meet the startling blue eyes of her date, and her mouth hung open for a moment too long. 

“L-Lucina, hey!” She sputtered out with too much enthusiasm. Lucina sported a yellow polka dot dress that gave off a cute 50s housewife look. A matching yellow bow highlighted the dark blue of her hair. 

“Sorry, I’m not late am I? I had to drive my brother somewhere before I got here.”’ 

“Not at all! Uh, do you want to get a coffee or something?” Severa paused, then added on quickly, “I’ll cover it, if you want.” Lucina blinked, then laughed.  _ Oh my god I’m so gay _ , Severa thought aggressively

“Don’t worry about it, give me a second!” She beamed and turned towards the counter. Severa watched her out of the corner of her eye, listening intently for her order. Caramel Frappuccino, just like Inigo. She whirled back around quickly as Lucina picked up her drink, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Gotta play it cool.

“Okay, I’ve been needing this caffeine since I woke up today,” Lucina laughed and stuck her finger in the whipped cream, licking it off. It definitely was familiar.

“Haha, working today?” 

“Nah, just stayed up late last night. So you finished them?” Lucina’s eyes lit up, grabbing Severa’s hands suddenly in excitement. 

Severa barely managed to stutter out a response, “Y-y-yeah, they were so good! I can’t believe I hadn’t actually read them until now,” She immediately paused, realizing her mistake.

“I thought you said you’d read them before?” Lucina raised her eyebrows innocently, and Severa felt her face flush.  

“R-right, I did say that...I might have exaggerated a little bit, since you work in a library and all…” Here Severa was, five minutes in, failing miserably. 

“Aw, ha ha, you didn’t have to talk yourself up to be my friend? You’re never too old to read Harry Potter.” Severa blinked - there was no way Lucina didn’t get the implication of her previous statement. But there she was, smiling pleasantly, “Who’s your favourite character? I love Dumbledore, I even have him on my dress, see?” She lifted her skirt a bit to show Severa, who politely averted her eyes, “Each polka dot is a tiny image of Dumbledore’s face!” 

Severa looked at the earnest expression of the girl across from her. The dorky dress, her cute coffee drink, and the sparkling expression - Severa turned red, covering her face with her hand. It was...adorable. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her coffee, before answering.

“I like Draco, he’s really complex and-”

 

* * *

Inigo glanced at his phone which buzzed on his dresser, noticed it was Severa, and promptly ignored it. He stood half naked in his bedroom in front of the full length mirror, comparing two different outfits which lay out side by side on his bed. He still had two hours until he was meeting Owain, which he hoped would be enough time to make a decision. He held a pink shirt up against his chest, then a blue one, scrunching his eyebrows and pursing his lips as he compared them. 

It was definitely weird. Generally you  _ started _ with the date. Inigo didn’t really know how to play this - it wasn’t exactly like he was trying to win his date over, hoping for a kiss or something more at the end. They had...gone there already? Usually he didn’t get far past a date or two, and then end goal was usually the sex. But now? He wanted to make whatever this was last. Which meant all his usual moves, flirts, and gestures had to be thrown out the window. He’d be going in blind.

“Heh, blind date…” he muttered to himself, deciding on the blue shirt. He wondered what Owain was going to wear. He flicked on his phone, marking Severa’s plea for help as read, then shuffled his music. 

“I’ve been in love with love, and the idea of…” he sang under his breath, swinging his hips as he did the buttons up on his shirt. 

 

* * *

“Owain, aren’t you going out soon?” Lissa called up, and Owain glanced up from his gameboy, then at the clock on his phone. 

“Shit...THANKS MOM,” he snapped the DS shut and dove to his closet, flinging pants, shirts, and cosplay costume pieces out in search of his nicer clothes. The rumpled button up at the bottom of his closet might have passed if not for the mysterious stain on one of the sleeves. He shrugged and switched into a darker pair of skinny jeans and one of his more plain looking polo shirts. He grabbed a pair of converse from their spots across the room from each other and paused in the mirror to make sure his hair wasn’t sticking up  _ that _ much. It was. He dashed out anyway.

“I dunno when I’ll be back, don’t stay awake for me!” Owain called as he shoved a foot in one shoe at the door, checking the time again, as if it would slow the longer he looked at it. He raced out the door, then paused and ran back inside and grabbed his keys off the counter, “Bye for real!” 

He managed to catch the bus as it was taking off from the stop, and slumped into the seat. He slicked his hair back and sighed, whipping out his phone.

 

5:48 PM

So I might be a lil bit late? 

Gotta keep em waitin >w>.

Don’t worry, I’ll still say I just got there when you arrive.

Babe.

And they say that chivalry is dead

  
  


He shut it off and stared out the window, squirming nervously in his seat.

 

* * *

“Yeah I know, like, how could anyone feel bad for Snape?” Lucina agreed, almost knocking over her second empty frappuccino cup with her angry hand motion, “Sometimes I wonder what JK was thinking,” she finished. Severa nodded. Her voice was hoarse from talking for the past few hours, and it was nice listening to Lucina, especially when she was getting really worked up

“Oh man, I didn’t even  _ realize _ what time it is!” She paused as she checked her phone, and Severa checked hers as well, “You’re probably hungry for dinner.” 

“Uh, a little. I don’t really have any plans, though?” Severa straightened up and cracked her neck from side to side. 

“Well as much as I appreciate that Starbucks serves food, did you wanna go and get something to eat? I think there’s a burger place not too far from here…” Lucina smiled and glanced out the window, then swiped open a food app on her phone. Severa’s voice died in her throat as she tried to force out a yes, “Oh, yup! A 50s style diner, sounds fun, right?” Lucina paused, “Wait, I didn’t even let you say if you wanted to go. Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I’ll cover it if you need it? It’s worth it for the milkshakes,” The excited words fell out of her mouth, and Severa let her head tilt in a small nod. 

“Great!” Lucina beamed, and Severa moved to put her books back in her bag at the same time Lucina tried to help. Their hands brushed, and Severa felt herself redden as she froze. Her eyes met Lucina’s, and the other girl smiled brightly and laughed a bit, “Sorry, you got it.” 

This girl was perfect, Severa thought as she slid the books into her bag, not raising her eyes until she felt the blush subside. When she looked up, Lucina hooked her arm around Severa’s and pulled her up and out towards the door excitedly. 

The diner in question was undoubtedly 50s themed, jukebox and all. An uncomfortable looking waitress in a poodle skirt took their orders (Lucina had insisted on Severa ordering a milkshake). 

“I hope this isn’t weird to say,” Lucina started, and Severa’s heart skipped a beat, “But I feel like we should have been friends way earlier.” Friends. That was definitely the word she used. 

“Ha, nah, that’s not weird to say…” Severa trailed off, but swallowed and continued, “B-but like, all we’ve talked about is Harry Potter, I kind of want to know more about  _ you _ , you know?” It sounded so forced, which it was, but Lucina seemed so open and Severa wanted to know more and more. 

“About me?” Lucina paused, dragging the newly arrived milkshake closer and taking a long sip, “I guess I really like reading? But you knew that already, ha ha…” She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear shyly, “Uh, my dad is actually the Dean of Students at school, I guess he’s like a pretty big deal?” Severa nodded, and Lucina looked thoughtful, “Erm, I’m a polisci major, I kind of want to go into politics one day, change the world, you know? And I really like ice cream and fantasy novels and I knit sometimes.”

Severa took that in, eyes softening as she watched Lucina shuffle nervously as she tried explain herself. “You’re a really good person, you know?” 

“Huh?” 

“Like, I lost my faith in everything when I was a teenager, and here you are trying to change the world. It’s so….” Severa trailed off. Lucina gave her a quiet smile, looking embarrassed, taking another long sip of her milkshake. 

“You are too, Severa,” she fiddled with the straw between her fingers, “Good, that is. You’re good too.” 

 

* * *

Inigo glanced at his phone again. Owain had said he’d be late, but as he stood in front of the restaurant, he felt all the worst case scenarios flashing through his mind. He had decided to leave his shirt tie-less, and had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. Not just because was hot outside, it made him look pretty hot as well (as least he thought so). He ran his fingers through his hair, which he had spent way too long styling. 

 

6:04 PM

I’m almost there!

Like im running there now

I think I see you

Yeah

 

The messages came in quick succession, and Inigo glanced up to see a figure jogging towards him, and he felt relief flood over him.  

“S-sorry…” Owain huffed, doubling over and gasping for air, “I-I almost missed my bus and then the light across the street would NOT change-”

“I’m glad you made it,” Inigo smiled, reaching for Owain’s hand. He eyed his date, specifically the tight jeans. He led Owain inside the restaurant, which was dimly lit and foggy with conversation and quiet jazz. The hostess led them to the quiet corner booth that he had specifically requested, and left them alone with their menus.

“Wow, this place is...this is the kind of place we go for big important birthdays or something in my family,” Owain whispered, opening the menu, “C-can you even afford this?” 

“Rude, I have a job, remember? I quite distinctly remember meeting you there,” Inigo smiled, rolling his eyes, “So my friend Sev is on a date too today, I’ve been bugging her about it but she won’t text me back. That’s a good sign, right?”

“The waitress you work with?” Owain took a sip of his ice water, “I think I met her once. Grumpy, redhead?”

“That’s Severa all right…”

The two sat in awkward silence for a moment before a waitress came to take their drink orders. Inigo expertly ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer that sounded french and fancy. Owain fanned himself with his hand as the waitress turned away.

“Ohhh, I love a man who takes charge,” he grinned, his sarcastic tone earning him a nudge under the table.

“Well this  _ is _ our first date. I gotta impress you so that I can take you home tonight.” Inigo missed the blush that was spreading across Owain’s cheeks, too busy reading the menu. 

Another minute of silence.

“Do I get to pick the next date?”

“That depends,” Inigo glanced up and smiled, “On what it is.”

“A….surprise?” Owain smiled and checked his phone, the notification for “Convention!!” alerting him a week in advance. 

“Your ‘Bisque aux crevettes’, sirs?” The waitress returned, placing down two bowls of soup. Inigo felt relieved; he remembered that bisque was a soup at least. Crevettes sounded tasty? He watched Owain take a spoonful, then another, and another, glancing up at him in amazement.

“What  _ is _ this? It’s delicious!”

“Uh….crevette soup?” Inigo chuckled and tasted his as well. It was tasty, though he wasn’t quite sure about the tingling.

“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything that literally tingled in my mouth before?”  Inigo paused, then ran his spoon through the soup, lifting a spoonful of liquid and…

“Oh crap.”

“What?”

“Crevettes are shrimp.”

“I think so? Want me to look it up?”

“Please. Quickly. I….” Inigo inhaled sharply, “I’m allergic to shrimp.”

 

* * *

9:03 PM

Hey Sev guess what?

I almost died on my first date.

wat

I tried to impress him by ordering something fancy.

It had shrimp.

I’ve been at the ER for the past hour and a half….

LMAO 

ur an idiot

How did your date go? 

Better, I hope?

were seeing a moviee tmrw

so gud?

wat am i sayin it was gr8

but anythg beats ur shitty date

 

Thanks.

This is why you’re my best friend.

im ur best friend?

sad 

<3 

<3 glad u ok 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this ended up being more LuciSev than I intended but shit happens man. There will be more than just these four in the next chapter so hold tight :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm sorry that was a long and unexpected hiatus.

Owain (519-XXX-XXXX)

 

10:40 AM

 

How do you feel after your near-death experience?

I didn’t “almost die”.

I’m...so embarrassed.

It was pretty funny

I mean, once we knew you weren’t dying ┐(￣～￣)┌

Well I still have to go into work today.

Kjelle has me training some new bartender.

I guess they’re giving him a trial by fire?

I have the whole weekend off for some reason.

Poor guy.

Oh? The whole weekend you say? (´꒳`)

...Ok what did you do.

 

Last Message Sent: 10:47 AM

 

***

 

“Inigo, good, glad you’re here. Let me introduce you to the newbie,” Kjelle intercepted Inigo as he walked towards the employee lockers, a nervous looking man in tow, “Inigo, this is Yarne. Yarne, Inigo will be showing you the ropes in time for the weekend.”

Inigo looked the man over - he was significantly taller than himself, with long dreads pulled back into pigtails that made it look like he had bunny ears. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Where did you find this guy? You didn’t just pull someone unsuspecting off the street, did you?”

Kjelle scowled, “No, I was asked to give him a chance by, uh, a friend.” Inigo raised an eyebrow, and Kjelle looked away. He had a pretty good idea of who this friend might be.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Yarne. Is that a nickname or something?” The tall man shuffled nervously, and shook his head. Kjelle left the two as Inigo tossed an apron over his own head, tying it expertly around his waist.

“Ok, well I assume you have your basic training, lemme show you around the bar,” Inigo smiled, secretly pleased at getting to boss someone else around. He passed Severa, who was washing a pile of trays.

“Oh man, who’s the new guy? Another server I hope?” She asked, with a vague sense of interest.

“As if you need an excuse to slack off,” Inigo grinned, “He’s with me. Yarne, this is Severa. Her bark is worse than her bite.” Yarne blinked and held out a hand to shake hers, but Severa ignored it with a pointed sniff. Yarne looked like he was about to cry.

Inigo started with quick tour of the walk in fridge and the below bar storage, which only took about ten minutes.

“This place is pretty small. You’ll figure out where things are pretty fast. Your biggest concern is being able to hear people’s orders over all the noise.”

“I actually have p-pretty good hearing,” Yarne spoke for the first time, with a voice that was squeakier than he had expected for someone of his size.

Yarne ended up being an extremely fast learner, and despite his confidence being a little lacking, he seemed to have a pretty solid memory. When Inigo asked to make him a surprise drink off menu, the resulting concoction was….actually delicious. He was a bit jealous.

“Well,” Inigo put his hands on his hips, surveying the new recruit, “You definitely are more competent than some of the people I trained with. I think you’ll be fine tonight. Plus, I have a feeling the ladies will _love_ you.”

“Th-thank you, sir!” The man blushed, running a hand nervously through his hair.

“Not sure why they’re putting you on your next weekend alone, though? I guess Kjelle has a lot of confidence in you.”

“Uh, I was t-told that you requested them off, sir?”

“Don’t call me sir, we’re coworkers….and wait, what?” He paused, and Yarne shrugged.

***

 

“So you’re telling me that my boyfriend texted you and asked you to book off the weekend for me?” Inigo hounded Severa over their break, and she gave him a sly smile, “That’s...what is he even planning?”

“Beats me,” Severa shrugged, then her face soured, “Also that guy could use a few less emoticons in my opinion.”

“They’re cute,” Inigo mumbled in defense, wracking his brain for a memory of what Owain might be planning. He paused.

 

_“Do I get to pick the next date?”_

_“That depends on what it is.”_

_“A….surprise?”_

  


9:35 PM

What did you do?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

You’re diabolical.

What are we doing?

It’s...a surprise?

You said the same thing last night.

Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of everything.

Either you’re perfect or you’re evil.

We’ll have to see on Friday morning ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

Last Message Received: 9:41 PM

 

Inigo copied the strange face Owain kept using and added it to his name in his contacts.

 

***

 

A week of training left Inigo more tired than he thought. Yarne completely floundered once he had to deal with actual customers, leaving Inigo to come to his rescue over and over. Perhaps starting him on a weekend wasn’t Kjelle’s best idea. On top of that, Owain kept texting him, telling him to pick up certain things. A blue and white striped shirt, a light blue short sleeved button up, hair spray, etc. (thankfully Inigo had hair spray stockpiled in his bathroom.) His shift on Thursday night was filled with final questions from Yarne, who was apparently extremely nervous to be left alone, so he had no time to think about what Owain might be planning for the weekend. By the time he crawled into bed and checked his phone, he had a few missed texts to read.

12:58 AM

Ok, wear the clothes I told you to get and the blue jeans.

Pack for an overnight trip, pjs, extra clothes, phone charger etc.

We’ll be at your apartment tomorrow at 11.

 

 

Inigo squinted at the messages, then typed back a late reply.

 

2:14 AM

We?

Well I can’t drive.

Why are you even awake?

Sewing.

What?

See you tomorrow (´ε｀ )♡

 

Last Message Received: 2:20 AM

 

***

 

Perched on an overnight suitcase, Inigo flipped through his phone, looking over the rims of his sunglasses. It was deadly hot outside, and Inigo pinched the collar of his shirt, shaking it out in an attempt to fan himself. He hadn’t received another message from Owain since the night before, and he found his heart beating fast, wondering what kind of romantic weekend he had to look forward to. A car horn stirred him from his thoughts, and the passenger window scrolled down to reveal Owain in shutter shades, his hair spiked ridiculously.

“Get in, loser!” Owain called out playfully, tipping down his shades.

Inigo stood slowly, wheeling his bag to the trunk of the car, then opening one of the rear doors. A dark haired girl turned around and smiled at him shyly.

“This is my friend Noire,” Owain introduced, “She’s gonna be one of the people rooming with us. She can also bake the most delicious cake in the _world_.” Inigo blinked.

“Rooming with us…. _one of?_ Owain, what’s going on?”

“Oh, before I forget!” Owain dug through a backpack at his feet, and pulled out a bizarre golden necklace, “Put this on, it completes the look.” Taking the accessory, Inigo flipped it over in his hands. A familiar looking circle with a triangle with an eye in the middle…

“Hold on, this is from that kids show about card games?!” Inigo waved the millennium ring indignantly, “Why am I in a costume?”

“It’s Fan Con,” The woman named Noire whispered nervously, “D-did Owain not tell you?” Inigo fumed, his dreams for a quiet weekend together shattered in an instant.

“How come I’m the only one dressed up then?” Inigo crossed his arms in front of his chest as the car pulled away from the traffic circle, back into the streets.

“Well Noire can’t really drive in full Ashe armour, and I’m still...finishing up the final touches on mine,” Owain answered, pulling out a lime green strip of fabric and a needle and thread, beginning to stitch what looked like a green heart to it. Inigo sighed heavily.

The next hour and a bit was filled with chatter between Noire and Owain, overlapped by the high energy (and probably not english) music that was coming from Owain’s ipod. Inigo sighed and looked out the window, humming quietly along to any music that was familiar (he definitely recognized the Sailor Moon opening).  He texted Severa his predicament, but she probably was sleeping in on her day off.

“W-we’re here!” Noire suddenly announced, with quiet enthusiasm. Inigo looked out at an impressively fancy looking hotel, and Owain burst out the side of the car before it had fully stopped.

“Cower, for your place of convention going has been cursed with the presence of ODIN DARK!” Owain covered his face with his hand dramatically, and Inigo did the same in exasperation. He climbed out to help unload, joined by Owain who would not let him touch the giant bow that sat propped behind the suitcases.

“Noire will literally kill you if anything happened to that,” he smiled, and Inigo attempted to image Noire killing anyone. It seemed unlikely. The two carried the bags to the front lobby as Noire parked, and Inigo’s eyes widened. Colourful costumes, oversized swords, a few people dressed up as Spiderman (Deadpool, Owain corrected). It was overwhelming, but Owain made a beeline for the front desk, unperturbed. Inigo knew that Comicon was a thing, but there was a difference between seeing it on the news and being there, surrounded by a buzz of energy. His eyes followed a rather scantily clad woman with bright blue hair and cat paws, but Owain’s tug on his arm pulled him away. He glanced at the golden necklace that sat on top of his suitcase, sighed, and pulled it over his head. When in Rome.

The room had two large beds, and Owain assured him that it wouldn’t be too packed when everyone else arrived. He resisted asking how many would be piling in, instead directed his attention to the yellow suit that Owain was pulling out of his own large suitcase.

“What...is that?”

“Ah, it is the product of my week’s hard work. Behold!” And with that he dashed into the bathroom. Noire pulled a long white wig out of a bag and began brushing it thoroughly. A few minutes later, the door of the bathroom was thrown open, and Owain stepped out in a bright yellow and green monstrosity.

“You thought it was going to be Owain, but it was I, Dio!” He announced proudly, pointing to himself, causing Noire to laugh quietly behind him.

“I...don’t get it,” Inigo narrowed his eyes. There were heart shaped kneepads, a belt buckle, and the headband that he recognized as what Owain was sewing in the car. It was an atrocity.

“Tch,” Owain tutted, bending backwards and putting his hand over his face again, “We shall rectify your lack of knowledge tonight. Allow me to take you on a truly bizarre adventure!”

“I already am on one…” Inigo mumbled, as Noire headed into the bathroom next.

Owain listed off the group that would be staying in the hotel. It was the three of them, a pair of twins named Morgan and Marc, a friend of Noire’s, nicknamed Nah, and Owain’s cousin Brady. Inigo raised an eyebrow doubtfully, wondering how 7 people were going to fit in one room. Owain seemed unphased, grabbing Inigo’s hand and dragging him over to the vanity.

“You brought the hair spray, right?”

“What are you going to do to my hair?” Inigo put a hand to his hair, which he had spent a good half an hour on that morning.

“Just trust me, I do this all the time,” Owain grinned, “Cover your eyes.” He sprayed liberally all over Inigo’s hair, and Inigo closed his eyes as he felt hands pulling, spiking and generally messing up his work.

“There!” Inigo opened his eyes warily and immediately closed them again.

“I look weird, this is...this is embarrassing!” Inigo covered his face with his hands, but Owain was having none of it.

“You look perfect, my judgement was right! You look adorable,” He pressed his check next to Inigo’s, and he blushed furiously.

Noire exited the bathroom behind them, hood over the white wig she was now wearing.

“Owain, can you help me put on my armour?”

“As always, my lady,” Owain left to aid Noire, and Inigo was left alone with just his reflection. He glanced in the mirror again. He vaguely remembered this character from Yugioh as a kid. Wasn’t he evil? Or British? Why were evil people always British? He swept some of his bangs to the side, which then dutifully fell back into place. Great.

“Alright, you’re good to go,” Owain stepped back from Noire, who brushed a long strand of white hair behind her ear. Inigo turned and widened his eyes. She was unrecognizable, all leg and armour, with a brilliant blue bow, “D-do I look okay?” Inigo and Owain both nodded, Owain giving an over the top thumbs up, “Okay, let’s head down then.” Inigo followed the two out into the lobby (slowly, as Noire was still getting used to walking). With her heels, she must have been over six feet.

“So, I guess you do this every year?” Inigo asked Owain quietly as they were stopped for the fourth time since leaving the hotel room. Noire was posing dramatically for yet another picture.

“There are a few of them every year, but this is a big one, yeah,” He replied, adjusting his headband, “But this is the convention where I face off against my greatest nemesis.”

“You have a nemesis? Do _they_ know that?” Inigo covered a smile with one hand, and Owain scowled.

“Yes, and this is the year that I finally defeat her. The diabolical JusticePegasus98!” Inigo snorted. They went to pick up badges, which Owain had already paid for (how romantic?).

“So what exactly do you do at these things?” Inigo began, but paused as he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a young girl eagerly clutching a camera.

“P-pardon me, could I maybe take your picture?” She smiled sheepishly from behind the lens. Inigo froze, so Owain answered for him.

“Of course! Let me get out of the way,” he moved off to the side, and Inigo felt himself reddening, unsure of what to do. He glanced at Owain pleadingly, and Owain answered by holding up an imaginary necklace. Mirroring him, Inigo awkwardly posed, letting the girl snap a picture of him, but before he could relax, another person waved him to hold while he took a photo. And then another. And another. Inigo suddenly felt so overwhelmed as he was mobbed. His pleading glances to Owain were only met with enthusiastic thumbs up.

As his legs began to buckle, it seemed as though the photographers were finally finished with him. Owain was once again at his side.

“I knew you’d make a good Bakura. I have an eye for these things, you know,”

“That...was terrifying…” Inigo’s shoulders slumped as he willed his heartbeat to slow down, “How does Noire deal with that?”

“She usually gets pretty grumpy by the evening…” Owain looked away nervously, but refocused his gaze as he remembered what he was talking about before, “Okay, so there’s panels where people talk about things they like, and game rooms, and screening rooms, and a HUGE artists alley where you can buy art and stuff.”

Inigo tried to brush his bangs out of his face again, to no avail, as he followed Owain around the large hotel. Now that he wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed, he was actually quite interested; all the colourful costumes, the music drifting out of small panel rooms, and how tightly Owain was gripping his hand, leading him through the menagerie. Inigo was just about to ask if they could see this huge art room when a voice across the hall froze both of them.

“Odin Dark!”

The two turned around to see the source of the voice. A short girl in an even shorter skirt, fluffy brown pigtails and headphones. She was pointing dramatically at the both of them.

“She is here,” Owain hissed, releasing Inigo’s hand to stride over to the girl.

“I see you’re still wearing trashy anime cosplays,” she placed her hands on her hips and smirked at him.

“I’m pretty sure they made Persona 4 an anime,” he replied with a fake sense of absentmindedness.

“Not ‘Dancing All Night’! And that’s besides the point. Are you ready to be as thoroughly thrashed, like last year?”

“I believe luck will be on my side this time,” Owain smiled, turning around to look at Inigo, “I’ve brought my good luck charm.”

The girl peeked around Owain to look at him, narrowing her eyes. She looked somewhat familiar, but Inigo couldn’t place where.

“Very well, I will embarass you in front of your boyfriend as well,” she announced proudly, before turning back into the room she had emerged from. Inigo followed the two after a moment, feeling as if he was intruding on something very sacred, or very stupid.

The sounds that had been faint in the halls now assaulted his ears. High pitched and fast paced; DDR machines. He glanced at Owain, in his baggy yellow outfit, then to the girl, in her impossibly short skirt (don’t look, Inigo!), then back to the machine. This seemed like a terrible idea.

“I’ll allow you the first choice, a handicap if you will,” the girl yelled over the noise. Inigo peeked between the two to watch the song choice, but the title wasn’t anything he recognized. He hadn’t played DDR in years, it was possible that they’d changed all the songs since then.

The song began with just some rhythmic drums. As the two gave each other one last glare, the song picked up into harsh guitar, and a black and white music video played behind the occasional arrow that would appear. Suddenly, as lyrics began, Inigo’s eyes widened at the absolute wall of directional arrows. The two moved in sync that he hadn’t seen since his days of dance lessons, but never at such a frightening speed. Even at points where the song seemed to slow, the relentless arrows never wavered. He could hear the other girl humming along to the song as she hit every arrow, but Owain was beginning to tire. The rows of ‘Excellent!’s divulged into ‘Great!’s, then to ‘Bad!”s as he lost his rhythm. The song modulated to a higher key as the other girl stole a smug glance over at Owain. It faded over that same guitar as Owain dramatically fell to his knees. (Thank goodness for those kneepads, Inigo thought.)

“Another year, another failure. Looks like your good luck charm was worthless after all,” the girl exhaled, stepping down from the machine. Inigo glanced between Owain, who was still on his knees, then back to the girl.

“Uh, how about-” he paused, then reworded, “JusticePegasus98, I presume?” He called out in a louder voice than he was expecting, “I would like to…” he felt himself blushing, “I would like to defend Owain’s honour. Will you battle me?” He was definitely fully red by now.

The girl looked him over and started laughing, “Is that really what you want?” Inigo nodded, but pointed to another machine - a more familiar one, one he had played on many a time as a kid. Owain’s rival paused, then nodded her head, “I accept your challenge, but do not think I will go easy on you.”

The familiar feel of this machine brought back a wave of nostalgia for Inigo as he climbed on. The issue was his was much taller now. Dance, he thought however, was something you could never truly forget. His heart raced as the game came to life.

“Your choice, only fair,” JusticePegasus98 motioned widely to the screen, and Inigo began to scroll through it for a familiar song.

“Wait, Inigo, you know not what you’re doing!” he heard Owain’s voice behind him, and turned to look at him.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, leaning over the bar to kiss him on the forehead, “I told you I used to dance, right?” He returned to the song selection, a bit too embarrassed to look at Owain after doing something so cheesy, and there it was. The song he had played over and over until he was out of quarters. He pressed play, and then ‘Expert’ difficulty. She gave him a once over, before taking her stance as the song booted up.

The electronic sounding violin began, and it all came flashing back in an instant. Inigo felt his feet moving towards the arrows with ease. The song picked up even faster, and he realized that this was much _easier_ than he remembered. He flourished the dance with a spin, landing perfectly into the next set of arrows. He even let himself sneak a glance at the girl on his left, who was struggling to keep up with the high speed dance. He felt his confidence soar.

“You’re undefeated? I’m surprised,”  he felt himself say as he crossed his legs back and forth again on the arrows. The look she gave him could have killed a man. He smiled, nothing taking him off the high of dancing (even if it was just four directional arrows). He let his arms flow with the music, interpreting it into more of a dance than the machine could ever provide, and mid spin, saw Owain staring at him with his mouth agape. Oh, right. He was watching. His foot missed the arrow, earning him his first ‘Bad!’, and his face flushed with embarrassment. He stumbled but regained his composure after a few arrow steps, vowing not to spin anymore.  
JusticePegasus98’s heavy breathing as she tried to keep up next to him pushed him further. The song modulated into the final dramatic section. Inigo landed the final held note elegantly, jumping as he heard a crash next to him. His competitor had no doubt lost her balance at the end, and the word ‘Miss!’ flashed on her screen. For a moment, all that could be heard was the faraway sounds of other games, and their heavy breathing, until it was punctuated by applause. It seemed that they had gathered a crowd, and Inigo turned to see a large amount of people behind him, watching him, Owain at the front looking up at him in pure awe. His throat caught at the sight of all the attention, and suddenly his stomach wasn’t feeling so good. Or his head. His vision swam, and the last thing he remembered was tipping forward into Owain’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noire's Costume: http://img02.deviantart.net/6d4c/i/2013/032/3/2/ashe_league_of_legends_reference_1_by_shinjusworkshop-d5thewi.jpg
> 
> Owain's Costume: http://www.fightersgeneration.com/nx4/game/jojo-allstarbattle/char-art/dio-brando-allstarbattle.png
> 
> Inigo's Costume: http://uploads4.yugioh.com/character/14/detail/detail/y-bakura-l.png?1371755458
> 
> JusticePegasus98's Costume: http://www.atlus.com/p4dan/images/characters/c02_chara.png
> 
>  
> 
> DDR Song 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lNZ_Rnr7Jc
> 
> DDR Song 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTIKDSJhfcM


End file.
